Jeff Manza and Christopher Uggen
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195149326
- eISBN:
- 9780199943975
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195149326.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
5.4 million Americans—one in every forty voting age adults—are denied the right to participate in democratic elections because of a past or current felony conviction. In several American states, one ...
More
5.4 million Americans—one in every forty voting age adults—are denied the right to participate in democratic elections because of a past or current felony conviction. In several American states, one in four black men cannot vote due to a felony conviction. In a country that prides itself on universal suffrage, how did the United States come to deny a voice to such a large percentage of its citizenry? What are the consequences of large-scale disenfranchisement—both for election outcomes, and for public policy more generally? This book exposes one of the most important, yet little known, threats to the health of American democracy today. It reveals the centrality of racial factors in the origins of these laws, and their impact on politics today. Marshalling the first real empirical evidence on the issue to make a case for reform, this analysis informs all future policy and political debates on the laws governing the political rights of criminals.Less
5.4 million Americans—one in every forty voting age adults—are denied the right to participate in democratic elections because of a past or current felony conviction. In several American states, one in four black men cannot vote due to a felony conviction. In a country that prides itself on universal suffrage, how did the United States come to deny a voice to such a large percentage of its citizenry? What are the consequences of large-scale disenfranchisement—both for election outcomes, and for public policy more generally? This book exposes one of the most important, yet little known, threats to the health of American democracy today. It reveals the centrality of racial factors in the origins of these laws, and their impact on politics today. Marshalling the first real empirical evidence on the issue to make a case for reform, this analysis informs all future policy and political debates on the laws governing the political rights of criminals.
George P. Fletcher
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195156287
- eISBN:
- 9780199872169
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195156285.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
In this afterword, the author discusses the events surrounding the 2000 U.S. Presidential election, in which George W. Bush became President based on a Supreme Court ruling that gave him the majority ...
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In this afterword, the author discusses the events surrounding the 2000 U.S. Presidential election, in which George W. Bush became President based on a Supreme Court ruling that gave him the majority in the electoral college, defeating Vice President Al Gore, who had won the popular vote. The widely held ideal of a popular democracy is contrasted with the reality of the Twelfth Amendment system of electoral votes, and the author asserts that such contrasts point to the ongoing conflict between our “two constitutions” and our own sense of nationhood. Issues of voter disenfranchisement raised in the election are also examined.Less
In this afterword, the author discusses the events surrounding the 2000 U.S. Presidential election, in which George W. Bush became President based on a Supreme Court ruling that gave him the majority in the electoral college, defeating Vice President Al Gore, who had won the popular vote. The widely held ideal of a popular democracy is contrasted with the reality of the Twelfth Amendment system of electoral votes, and the author asserts that such contrasts point to the ongoing conflict between our “two constitutions” and our own sense of nationhood. Issues of voter disenfranchisement raised in the election are also examined.
George P. Fletcher
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195156287
- eISBN:
- 9780199872169
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195156285.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter discusses the paradoxical ways that the Civil War served to strengthen states’ rights. Abolition was countered in many states by the enactment of “the Black Codes”, undermining the ...
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This chapter discusses the paradoxical ways that the Civil War served to strengthen states’ rights. Abolition was countered in many states by the enactment of “the Black Codes”, undermining the voting rights and equal protection that had ostensibly been granted to newly freed slaves. The author argues that these developments affect American life to this day, in the forms of felon disenfranchisement and discrimination, and in instances of denial of equal justice under law, such as the 1973 Rodriguez case.Less
This chapter discusses the paradoxical ways that the Civil War served to strengthen states’ rights. Abolition was countered in many states by the enactment of “the Black Codes”, undermining the voting rights and equal protection that had ostensibly been granted to newly freed slaves. The author argues that these developments affect American life to this day, in the forms of felon disenfranchisement and discrimination, and in instances of denial of equal justice under law, such as the 1973 Rodriguez case.
Jeff Manza, Christopher Uggen, and Angela Behrens
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195149326
- eISBN:
- 9780199943975
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195149326.003.0012
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
This chapter develops a broad historical overview, subjecting race-based theories about the adoption and development of felon disenfranchisement laws to scrutiny. It develops a systematic ...
More
This chapter develops a broad historical overview, subjecting race-based theories about the adoption and development of felon disenfranchisement laws to scrutiny. It develops a systematic quantitative analysis that uses detailed information on the social and political makeup of individual states over a long historical period to examine how various factors affect the adoption and extension of state disenfranchisement laws. Why is race a logical culprit in the search to explain the development of felon disenfranchisement laws? In recent years, there has been an explosion of scholarship by social scientists and historians fingering race, and racial politics, as principal sources of the peculiar development of American political and legal culture. This scholarship includes three distinct types of argument: firstly, arguments about the interaction between race and the development of U.S. political institutions; secondly, arguments focusing on the impact of racial attitudes and racism; and thirdly, arguments that stress the nexus between race (and class) in the political economy of the American South.Less
This chapter develops a broad historical overview, subjecting race-based theories about the adoption and development of felon disenfranchisement laws to scrutiny. It develops a systematic quantitative analysis that uses detailed information on the social and political makeup of individual states over a long historical period to examine how various factors affect the adoption and extension of state disenfranchisement laws. Why is race a logical culprit in the search to explain the development of felon disenfranchisement laws? In recent years, there has been an explosion of scholarship by social scientists and historians fingering race, and racial politics, as principal sources of the peculiar development of American political and legal culture. This scholarship includes three distinct types of argument: firstly, arguments about the interaction between race and the development of U.S. political institutions; secondly, arguments focusing on the impact of racial attitudes and racism; and thirdly, arguments that stress the nexus between race (and class) in the political economy of the American South.
Jeffrey C. Alexander
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195162509
- eISBN:
- 9780199943364
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195162509.003.0021
- Subject:
- Sociology, Culture
All complex societies have states, and they are extraordinarily important, but it is vital not to conflate states and their powers with the institutions of the civil sphere. States are organizations ...
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All complex societies have states, and they are extraordinarily important, but it is vital not to conflate states and their powers with the institutions of the civil sphere. States are organizations that exercise social control in formal and explicit, if sometimes indirect ways, by requests if possible, by commands if necessary, and by force if nothing else will do. The goals of government and its ends, are established by forces outside state organization itself. At the head of state organization sits an authority that is instituted by some nonbureaucratic power, which aims to make the bureaucracy work in its own interests and name. This chapter discusses civil power; the instrumental science of politics; constructing and destructing civil power; the right to vote and disenfranchisement; parties, partisanship, and election campaigns; and civil power in the state.Less
All complex societies have states, and they are extraordinarily important, but it is vital not to conflate states and their powers with the institutions of the civil sphere. States are organizations that exercise social control in formal and explicit, if sometimes indirect ways, by requests if possible, by commands if necessary, and by force if nothing else will do. The goals of government and its ends, are established by forces outside state organization itself. At the head of state organization sits an authority that is instituted by some nonbureaucratic power, which aims to make the bureaucracy work in its own interests and name. This chapter discusses civil power; the instrumental science of politics; constructing and destructing civil power; the right to vote and disenfranchisement; parties, partisanship, and election campaigns; and civil power in the state.
Jeff Manza and Christopher Uggen
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195149326
- eISBN:
- 9780199943975
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195149326.003.0011
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
This chapter begins by reviewing arguments that supporters of felon disenfranchisement have used to frame the public debate. But the contemporary arguments in support of felon disenfranchisement do ...
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This chapter begins by reviewing arguments that supporters of felon disenfranchisement have used to frame the public debate. But the contemporary arguments in support of felon disenfranchisement do not help us understand how these laws came into existence in the first place. We must instead look to the legal, political, and historical record to understand how we got to this point. The denial of political rights to criminal offenders can be found under very different types of democratic (and protodemocratic) regimes, and the practice has been a hot topic of philosophical debates since at least Aristotle. Understanding this history requires exploration of premodern political regimes and legal systems, classical philosophical writings, and their enduring traces in contemporary legal and political discourses. That is the goal of this chapter. But before exploring how and why societies disenfranchise, we must first ask why the right to vote became—and has remained—a bedrock of democratic governance.Less
This chapter begins by reviewing arguments that supporters of felon disenfranchisement have used to frame the public debate. But the contemporary arguments in support of felon disenfranchisement do not help us understand how these laws came into existence in the first place. We must instead look to the legal, political, and historical record to understand how we got to this point. The denial of political rights to criminal offenders can be found under very different types of democratic (and protodemocratic) regimes, and the practice has been a hot topic of philosophical debates since at least Aristotle. Understanding this history requires exploration of premodern political regimes and legal systems, classical philosophical writings, and their enduring traces in contemporary legal and political discourses. That is the goal of this chapter. But before exploring how and why societies disenfranchise, we must first ask why the right to vote became—and has remained—a bedrock of democratic governance.
Jeff Manza and Christopher Uggen
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195149326
- eISBN:
- 9780199943975
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195149326.003.0015
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
Chapters 1 and 2 endeavored to describe and analyze the origins of modern felon disenfranchisement laws, as well as highlight the peculiarities of the American case. This chapter now asks who these ...
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Chapters 1 and 2 endeavored to describe and analyze the origins of modern felon disenfranchisement laws, as well as highlight the peculiarities of the American case. This chapter now asks who these disenfranchised citizens are. How many are there? How and when are their rights restricted? When are they restored? And do the laws have a disproportionate racial impact today?Less
Chapters 1 and 2 endeavored to describe and analyze the origins of modern felon disenfranchisement laws, as well as highlight the peculiarities of the American case. This chapter now asks who these disenfranchised citizens are. How many are there? How and when are their rights restricted? When are they restored? And do the laws have a disproportionate racial impact today?
Jeff Manza and Christopher Uggen
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195149326
- eISBN:
- 9780199943975
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195149326.003.0022
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
This chapter analyzes the sources of rising rates of felon disenfranchisement and outlines some explanations for the growth of American correctional populations. The largest part of this growth is ...
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This chapter analyzes the sources of rising rates of felon disenfranchisement and outlines some explanations for the growth of American correctional populations. The largest part of this growth is due to larger changes in the criminal justice system. The chapter explores the contours of growing rates of punishment in America, and notes how the nation's policies are remarkably out of step with the rest of the world. Perhaps surprisingly, this has not always been the case. Incarceration rates in the United States were quite stable for most of the twentieth century. It has only been in the final quarter of the century that dramatic changes have taken place, with incarceration and conviction rates skyrocketing in a short span of time.Less
This chapter analyzes the sources of rising rates of felon disenfranchisement and outlines some explanations for the growth of American correctional populations. The largest part of this growth is due to larger changes in the criminal justice system. The chapter explores the contours of growing rates of punishment in America, and notes how the nation's policies are remarkably out of step with the rest of the world. Perhaps surprisingly, this has not always been the case. Incarceration rates in the United States were quite stable for most of the twentieth century. It has only been in the final quarter of the century that dramatic changes have taken place, with incarceration and conviction rates skyrocketing in a short span of time.
Jeff Manza and Christopher Uggen
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195149326
- eISBN:
- 9780199943975
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195149326.003.0032
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
Researchers have turned their attention to prisoner reentry and reintegration as more and more people are released from prison and placed back into their communities each year. This scholarship ...
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Researchers have turned their attention to prisoner reentry and reintegration as more and more people are released from prison and placed back into their communities each year. This scholarship details the problems that felons face in attempting to restart their lives, as well as the factors influencing whether they commit further crimes. Is voting one such factor? Does losing the right to vote matter to individual offenders, and if so, how and why? This chapter uses survey data to explore felons' political beliefs and the consequences of political exclusion for individual behavior and public safety. It looks at what felons believe, whether they vote, and how voting at one point in time influences the likelihood of subsequent criminal activity. If those who vote are actually less likely to commit new crimes—to “desist” from criminal activity—extending the franchise to felons could reduce rates of recidivism.Less
Researchers have turned their attention to prisoner reentry and reintegration as more and more people are released from prison and placed back into their communities each year. This scholarship details the problems that felons face in attempting to restart their lives, as well as the factors influencing whether they commit further crimes. Is voting one such factor? Does losing the right to vote matter to individual offenders, and if so, how and why? This chapter uses survey data to explore felons' political beliefs and the consequences of political exclusion for individual behavior and public safety. It looks at what felons believe, whether they vote, and how voting at one point in time influences the likelihood of subsequent criminal activity. If those who vote are actually less likely to commit new crimes—to “desist” from criminal activity—extending the franchise to felons could reduce rates of recidivism.
Jeff Manza, Christopher Uggen, and Angela Behrens
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195149326
- eISBN:
- 9780199943975
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195149326.003.0042
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
The survey results described in Chapter 5 provide useful information about the political orientations of people who have had contact with the criminal justice system. Yet those results also suggest ...
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The survey results described in Chapter 5 provide useful information about the political orientations of people who have had contact with the criminal justice system. Yet those results also suggest new questions: why offenders hold the political views they do, and how those views are driven by underlying values or dispositions, how they are not well captured by a survey instrument (however well designed). This chapter begins to address these issues using information from in-depth interviews. These interviews allow felons to articulate their views within their own frames rather than those provided by survey questions. Respondents were asked questions such as the following: What kinds of political experiences have you had? Do you expect to participate in politics in the future? Are any political issues especially salient to you, and if so, why? How did losing the right to vote affect your ideas about being a part of a community, and about your government?Less
The survey results described in Chapter 5 provide useful information about the political orientations of people who have had contact with the criminal justice system. Yet those results also suggest new questions: why offenders hold the political views they do, and how those views are driven by underlying values or dispositions, how they are not well captured by a survey instrument (however well designed). This chapter begins to address these issues using information from in-depth interviews. These interviews allow felons to articulate their views within their own frames rather than those provided by survey questions. Respondents were asked questions such as the following: What kinds of political experiences have you had? Do you expect to participate in politics in the future? Are any political issues especially salient to you, and if so, why? How did losing the right to vote affect your ideas about being a part of a community, and about your government?
Jeff Manza and Christopher Uggen
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195149326
- eISBN:
- 9780199943975
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195149326.003.0043
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
This chapter considers how many disenfranchised felons would participate nationally and how they would vote if they were eligible. It shows that a significant share of the disenfranchised felon ...
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This chapter considers how many disenfranchised felons would participate nationally and how they would vote if they were eligible. It shows that a significant share of the disenfranchised felon population would vote if they were given the opportunity. To be sure, their turnout rates would fall far below those of the rest of the electorate. In presidential elections such as the 2000 or 2004 contests, about one-third, or over 1.5 million currently disenfranchised citizens, would have participated if they had been eligible. In light of the conservative assumptions of the models used, it seems more likely that this figure is too low than that it is too high. Under any circumstance, it represents the loss of a very large number of voices and votes.Less
This chapter considers how many disenfranchised felons would participate nationally and how they would vote if they were eligible. It shows that a significant share of the disenfranchised felon population would vote if they were given the opportunity. To be sure, their turnout rates would fall far below those of the rest of the electorate. In presidential elections such as the 2000 or 2004 contests, about one-third, or over 1.5 million currently disenfranchised citizens, would have participated if they had been eligible. In light of the conservative assumptions of the models used, it seems more likely that this figure is too low than that it is too high. Under any circumstance, it represents the loss of a very large number of voices and votes.
Jeff Manza and Christopher Uggen
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195149326
- eISBN:
- 9780199943975
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195149326.003.0047
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
This chapter considers the impact of felon disenfranchisement on election outcomes. It begins with an overview of the implications of incomplete suffrage rights for democratic practice. It is ...
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This chapter considers the impact of felon disenfranchisement on election outcomes. It begins with an overview of the implications of incomplete suffrage rights for democratic practice. It is particularly important to note that felon disenfranchisement constitutes an unusual issue in the post-Voting Rights Act era, in which the question of group impacts becomes a relevant consideration. There is considerable evidence that felon voting restrictions have had a demonstrable impact on national elections. In this sense, rising levels of felon disenfranchisement constitute a reversal of the universalization of the right to vote.Less
This chapter considers the impact of felon disenfranchisement on election outcomes. It begins with an overview of the implications of incomplete suffrage rights for democratic practice. It is particularly important to note that felon disenfranchisement constitutes an unusual issue in the post-Voting Rights Act era, in which the question of group impacts becomes a relevant consideration. There is considerable evidence that felon voting restrictions have had a demonstrable impact on national elections. In this sense, rising levels of felon disenfranchisement constitute a reversal of the universalization of the right to vote.
Jeff Manza and Christopher Uggen
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195149326
- eISBN:
- 9780199943975
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195149326.003.0055
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
This chapter considers a range of policy and political proposals for reenfranchisement. It suggests that the key long-term reforms require reconsideration of all voting restrictions on ...
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This chapter considers a range of policy and political proposals for reenfranchisement. It suggests that the key long-term reforms require reconsideration of all voting restrictions on disenfranchised felons. The issue can be broken down into three separate questions: restoring voting rights for people who have completed their entire sentence (ex-felons); restoring voting rights for people who remain under supervision of the criminal justice system on probation or parole, but live in their communities (nonincarcerated felons); and restoring voting rights for currently incarcerated felons.Less
This chapter considers a range of policy and political proposals for reenfranchisement. It suggests that the key long-term reforms require reconsideration of all voting restrictions on disenfranchised felons. The issue can be broken down into three separate questions: restoring voting rights for people who have completed their entire sentence (ex-felons); restoring voting rights for people who remain under supervision of the criminal justice system on probation or parole, but live in their communities (nonincarcerated felons); and restoring voting rights for currently incarcerated felons.
Jeff Manza and Christopher Uggen
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195149326
- eISBN:
- 9780199943975
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195149326.003.0010
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
This introductory chapter sets out the purpose of the book, which is to analyze and interpret felon disenfranchisement laws in the United States. It examines whether and how large-scale ...
More
This introductory chapter sets out the purpose of the book, which is to analyze and interpret felon disenfranchisement laws in the United States. It examines whether and how large-scale disenfranchisement impacts democratic processes; how racial factors might help to explain the origins and impacts of these laws; and the importance of the right to vote in weaving former offenders back into the social fabric. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.Less
This introductory chapter sets out the purpose of the book, which is to analyze and interpret felon disenfranchisement laws in the United States. It examines whether and how large-scale disenfranchisement impacts democratic processes; how racial factors might help to explain the origins and impacts of these laws; and the importance of the right to vote in weaving former offenders back into the social fabric. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.
Victor Ginsburgh and Shlomo Weber
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691136899
- eISBN:
- 9781400838905
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691136899.003.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, History of Economic Thought
This introductory chapter sets out the book's purpose, which is to analyze the trade-off between the quest for efficiency that a small number of languages is thought to foster and a reduction in ...
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This introductory chapter sets out the book's purpose, which is to analyze the trade-off between the quest for efficiency that a small number of languages is thought to foster and a reduction in disenfranchisement, which calls for more languages. It does so by using economic and to some extent linguistic and sociological reasoning to balance the benefits and costs of various linguistic situations and policies. While extolling diversity, we must recognize that it may come with institutional wastefulness and inefficiency, corruption, legal and communication barriers, and lack of interest on the part of citizens about what happens in their country or region, or may lead to unrest, riots, and even wars. So also does restricting diversity, which results in disenfranchisement. It is a difficult challenge to decide on a “sensible” number of languages.Less
This introductory chapter sets out the book's purpose, which is to analyze the trade-off between the quest for efficiency that a small number of languages is thought to foster and a reduction in disenfranchisement, which calls for more languages. It does so by using economic and to some extent linguistic and sociological reasoning to balance the benefits and costs of various linguistic situations and policies. While extolling diversity, we must recognize that it may come with institutional wastefulness and inefficiency, corruption, legal and communication barriers, and lack of interest on the part of citizens about what happens in their country or region, or may lead to unrest, riots, and even wars. So also does restricting diversity, which results in disenfranchisement. It is a difficult challenge to decide on a “sensible” number of languages.
Victor Ginsburgh and Shlomo Weber
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691136899
- eISBN:
- 9781400838905
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691136899.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, History of Economic Thought
This chapter describes how linguistic policies have led to the alienation and disenfranchisement of various groups or individuals restricted in their linguistic rights. It starts with a brief tour of ...
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This chapter describes how linguistic policies have led to the alienation and disenfranchisement of various groups or individuals restricted in their linguistic rights. It starts with a brief tour of linguistic challenges faced by mankind since what is known as the curse of the Tower of Babel. To guarantee cohesiveness and efficiency in a society, some compromising on language standardization, rooted in Max Weber's rationalization theory, becomes an essential part of public policies. Though standardization is appealing, it may have the undesirable consequence of disenfranchising various groups in a society. The chapter discusses both facets and describes various examples of standardization policies, as well as their intended and unintended consequences. It argues that economic advantages of standardization are important, but the threat of survival and the feeling of disenfranchisement by those who face restrictions of their linguistic privileges, deemed to be rights, have to be taken into account. Respecting the will of the people is a necessary condition for any sustainable success of long-range policies in a democratic setting.Less
This chapter describes how linguistic policies have led to the alienation and disenfranchisement of various groups or individuals restricted in their linguistic rights. It starts with a brief tour of linguistic challenges faced by mankind since what is known as the curse of the Tower of Babel. To guarantee cohesiveness and efficiency in a society, some compromising on language standardization, rooted in Max Weber's rationalization theory, becomes an essential part of public policies. Though standardization is appealing, it may have the undesirable consequence of disenfranchising various groups in a society. The chapter discusses both facets and describes various examples of standardization policies, as well as their intended and unintended consequences. It argues that economic advantages of standardization are important, but the threat of survival and the feeling of disenfranchisement by those who face restrictions of their linguistic privileges, deemed to be rights, have to be taken into account. Respecting the will of the people is a necessary condition for any sustainable success of long-range policies in a democratic setting.
Victor Ginsburgh and Shlomo Weber
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691136899
- eISBN:
- 9781400838905
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691136899.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, History of Economic Thought
This chapter is concerned with the measurement of diversity. It distinguishes two main types of indices: fractionalization indices and disenfranchisement indices. Fractionalization indices capture ...
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This chapter is concerned with the measurement of diversity. It distinguishes two main types of indices: fractionalization indices and disenfranchisement indices. Fractionalization indices capture the ethnolinguistic mosaic of existing societies. They allow cross-country or cross-regional comparisons and examination of differences between various economic and political systems, institutions, and outcomes influenced by the diversity of societies. The chapter also discusses polarization indices, which are based on the same fundamentals. Polarization, as well as fractionalization, entails several groups with similar or identical members whose linguistic or ethnic characteristics are substantially different from those in other groups. However, in addition to exogenous ethnolinguistic distances between groups, polarization also introduces the idea of identification and alienation. Disenfranchisement indices are related to the notion of linguistic disenfranchisement caused by government policies. In addition, the chapter discusses the links between fractionalization, disenfranchisement, and communication indices, which were introduced in Chapter 3.Less
This chapter is concerned with the measurement of diversity. It distinguishes two main types of indices: fractionalization indices and disenfranchisement indices. Fractionalization indices capture the ethnolinguistic mosaic of existing societies. They allow cross-country or cross-regional comparisons and examination of differences between various economic and political systems, institutions, and outcomes influenced by the diversity of societies. The chapter also discusses polarization indices, which are based on the same fundamentals. Polarization, as well as fractionalization, entails several groups with similar or identical members whose linguistic or ethnic characteristics are substantially different from those in other groups. However, in addition to exogenous ethnolinguistic distances between groups, polarization also introduces the idea of identification and alienation. Disenfranchisement indices are related to the notion of linguistic disenfranchisement caused by government policies. In addition, the chapter discusses the links between fractionalization, disenfranchisement, and communication indices, which were introduced in Chapter 3.
Victor Ginsburgh and Shlomo Weber
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691136899
- eISBN:
- 9781400838905
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691136899.003.0008
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, History of Economic Thought
This chapter discusses applications of the fractionalization, polarization, and disenfranchisement indices introduced in Chapter 6. Fractionalization and polarization indices are used in more and ...
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This chapter discusses applications of the fractionalization, polarization, and disenfranchisement indices introduced in Chapter 6. Fractionalization and polarization indices are used in more and more econometric studies to check how diversity affects economic outcomes. A rather large number of studies show that diversity exerts negative effects, though this also depends on whether countries are more or less democratic. Negative effects are more likely in dictatorial regimes. Recent papers point to the fact that distance-based indices often have more explanatory power than size-based indices. Disenfranchisement indices are used to examine outcomes of linguistic standardization. These were applied to examine the consequences of restricting the number of languages in some uses in the European Union.Less
This chapter discusses applications of the fractionalization, polarization, and disenfranchisement indices introduced in Chapter 6. Fractionalization and polarization indices are used in more and more econometric studies to check how diversity affects economic outcomes. A rather large number of studies show that diversity exerts negative effects, though this also depends on whether countries are more or less democratic. Negative effects are more likely in dictatorial regimes. Recent papers point to the fact that distance-based indices often have more explanatory power than size-based indices. Disenfranchisement indices are used to examine outcomes of linguistic standardization. These were applied to examine the consequences of restricting the number of languages in some uses in the European Union.
Victor Ginsburgh and Shlomo Weber
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691136899
- eISBN:
- 9781400838905
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691136899.003.0009
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, History of Economic Thought
This chapter presents a case study of linguistic policies in the European Union. Linguistic policies should achieve a delicate balance, taking into account efficiency considerations without ...
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This chapter presents a case study of linguistic policies in the European Union. Linguistic policies should achieve a delicate balance, taking into account efficiency considerations without forgetting the will of the people. It suggests that although the English-only solution may yield greater efficiency and reduce costs, it could generate a substantial degree of disenfranchisement that leads to less political unity and citizens' loss of interest in a true European Union. The chapter presents alternative solutions that include the political feasibility of altering the extent of translation to some core languages; the provision of compensating transfers for countries that would be ready to cover their own translation needs'; and some fair methods of sharing the global cost of translation and interpretation, which could be of use in other parts of the world.Less
This chapter presents a case study of linguistic policies in the European Union. Linguistic policies should achieve a delicate balance, taking into account efficiency considerations without forgetting the will of the people. It suggests that although the English-only solution may yield greater efficiency and reduce costs, it could generate a substantial degree of disenfranchisement that leads to less political unity and citizens' loss of interest in a true European Union. The chapter presents alternative solutions that include the political feasibility of altering the extent of translation to some core languages; the provision of compensating transfers for countries that would be ready to cover their own translation needs'; and some fair methods of sharing the global cost of translation and interpretation, which could be of use in other parts of the world.
Ching Kwan Lee and Ming Sing (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781501740916
- eISBN:
- 9781501740930
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501740916.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Politics, Social Movements and Social Change
This book unveils the causes, processes, and implications of the 2014 seventy-nine-day occupation movement in Hong Kong known as the Umbrella Movement. The chapters ask, how and why had a world ...
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This book unveils the causes, processes, and implications of the 2014 seventy-nine-day occupation movement in Hong Kong known as the Umbrella Movement. The chapters ask, how and why had a world financial center known for its free-wheeling capitalism transformed into a hotbed of mass defiance and civic disobedience? The book argues that the Umbrella Movement was a response to China's internal colonization strategies—political disenfranchisement, economic subsumption, and identity reengineering—in post-handover Hong Kong. The chapters outline how this historic and transformative movement formulated new cultural categories and narratives, fueled the formation and expansion of civil society organizations and networks both for and against the regime, and spurred the regime's turn to repression and structural closure of dissent. Although the Umbrella Movement was fraught with internal tensions, the book demonstrates that the movement politicized a whole generation of people who had no prior experience in politics, fashioned new subjects and identities, and awakened popular consciousness.Less
This book unveils the causes, processes, and implications of the 2014 seventy-nine-day occupation movement in Hong Kong known as the Umbrella Movement. The chapters ask, how and why had a world financial center known for its free-wheeling capitalism transformed into a hotbed of mass defiance and civic disobedience? The book argues that the Umbrella Movement was a response to China's internal colonization strategies—political disenfranchisement, economic subsumption, and identity reengineering—in post-handover Hong Kong. The chapters outline how this historic and transformative movement formulated new cultural categories and narratives, fueled the formation and expansion of civil society organizations and networks both for and against the regime, and spurred the regime's turn to repression and structural closure of dissent. Although the Umbrella Movement was fraught with internal tensions, the book demonstrates that the movement politicized a whole generation of people who had no prior experience in politics, fashioned new subjects and identities, and awakened popular consciousness.
