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Making peace with referendums : Cyprus and Northern Ireland
\"This manuscript presents the first in-depth comparative study of peace referendums, demonstrating that the way peace negotiations are conducted has an impact on referendum outcomes. Specifically, Amaral compares the Annan Plan negotiations in Cyprus and the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) negotiations in Northern Ireland. The underlying aim is to uncover how peace negotiations can favor broad support for peace settlements and potentially avoid a failed referendum\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Making Peace with Referendums: Cyprus and Northern Ireland
Referendums have become an undeniably important, and perhaps inescapable, peacemaking tool in contemporary peace processes. As such, understanding the ways in which referendum outcomes are shaped by peace negotiations is vital. Drawing upon two case studies, Amaral presents an empirically rich comparative analysis of the Annan Plan in Cyprus and the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland. She examines the negotiations, offering new interview material with key political and civil figures involved in the peace negotiations and referendum campaigns in both cases. Amaral argues that referendums are unsuitable for traditional secretive and exclusionist peace negotiations that fail to engage and educate the public. They rather require inclusive negotiations that involve a broad spectrum of political stakeholders and civil society at the early stages of the process. This peacemaking approach can allow referendums to positively shape societies in conflict and be a crucial step toward lasting peace.
eBook
Politics of participation
We live in an age of democracy. Very few people challenge the virtues of ‘government by the people’, yet politicians and commentators are fond of decrying the ‘crisis of democracy’. How do these views square up? This book provides the answer by surveying the philosophical history of democracy and its critics and by analysing empirical data about citizen participation in Britain and other developed democracies. In addition to analysis of major political thinkers like Plato, Machiavelli and J.S. Mill, the book analyses how modern technology has influenced democracy. Among the issues discussed in the book are why people vote and what determines their decisions, what prompts citizen involvement in riots and demonstrations, whether spin doctors and designer politics pose a threat to democracy and the influence of mass media on our political behaviour. More than merely providing an overview, the book also presents original analyses of timely issues such as referendums and the consequences of postal voting. An essential book for students of politics, history and media studies, this study puts the debate about democracy into perspective and offers a solid grounding for future discussions.
eBook
Cleavage Referendums: Ideological Decisions and Transformational Political Change
Referendum use has been increasing around the world. In some cases, referendum devices are incorporated into the institutional architecture of the state while in many others, referendums are used in an, and often consultative manner, to determine positions on contentious and divisive political questions. Many of the divisive referendum questions are what we term “cleavage referendums” in this thematic issue. These referendums ask questions that draw from underlying cleavages or fault lines in politics. Voting in these referendums will often exhibit first‐order effects, as voters make decisions that align with their fundamental values and beliefs. The articles in this issue make three important contributions to enrich existing work on referendums: The first contribution lies in the development of new conceptual models for analysing referendums, such as new forms of classifying cleavage referendums, presenting a predictive model for the outcomes of referendum votes, and documenting and applying methodological approaches and frameworks that can provide the foundations for further future comparative work. The second contribution builds on the burgeoning literature that sits at the intersection of deliberative and direct democracy. In this sense, the articles interrogate examples of deliberative and participatory innovations in combination with referendum votes, while also examining their further potential, especially in one of the most contentious referendum contexts, secession. Finally, the role of cleavage structures in shaping voter decision‐making is explored thoroughly in comparative analyses and single case studies.
Journal Article
Contingent Valuation: From Dubious to Hopeless
Approximately 20 years ago, Peter Diamond and I wrote an article for this journal analyzing contingent valuation methods. At that time Peter's view was that contingent valuation was hopeless, while I was dubious but somewhat more optimistic. But 20 years later, after millions of dollars of largely government-funded research, I have concluded that Peter's earlier position was correct and that contingent valuation is hopeless. In this paper, I selectively review the contingent valuation literature, focusing on empirical results. I find that three long-standing problems continue to exist: 1) hypothetical response bias that leads contingent valuation to overstatements of value; 2) large differences between willingness to pay and willingness to accept; and 3) the embedding problem which encompasses scope problems. The problems of embedding and scope are likely to be the most intractable. Indeed, I believe that respondents to contingent valuation surveys are often not responding out of stable or well-defined preferences, but are essentially inventing their answers on the fly, in a way which makes the resulting data useless for serious analysis. Finally, I offer a case study of a prominent contingent valuation study done by recognized experts in this approach, a study that should be only minimally affected by these concerns but in which the answers of respondents to the survey are implausible and inconsistent.
Journal Article
Evaluating Democratic Innovations
In the face of increasing political disenchantment, many Western governments have experimented, with innovations which aim to enhance the working and quality of democracy as well as increasing citizens' political awareness and understanding of political matters.
This text is the most comprehensive account of these various democratic innovations. Written by an outstanding team of international experts it examines the theories behind these democratic innovations, how they have worked in practice and evaluates their success or failure. It explains experiments with new forms of democratic engagement such as:
Direct Democracy
Deliberative Democracy
Co-Governance
E-Democracy
Drawing on a wide variety of theoretical perspectives and with a broad range of case studies, this is essential reading for all students of democratic theory and all those with an interest in how we might revitalise democracy and increase citizen involvement in the political process.
eBook
Does Social Media Use Matter? A Case Study of the 2018 Irish Abortion Referendum
The role of social media at electoral events is much speculated upon. Wide-ranging effects, and often critical evaluations, are attributed to commentary, discussions, and advertising on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, and many other platforms. But the specific effects of these social media during campaigns, especially referendum campaigns, remain under-studied. This thematic issue is a very valuable contribution for precisely this reason. Using the 2018 abortion referendum in Ireland as an illustrative case, this commentary argues for greater research on social media at referendum campaigns, more critical evaluation of the claims and counterclaims about social media effects, often aired widely without substantive evidence, and, finally, for robust, coordinated cross-national regulation of all digital platforms in line with global democratic norms.
Journal Article
Detection of Landform Reference Areas for the Geomorphic Reclamation of Mines sites Using RS and GIS
The reference area is a key for the geomorphic reclamation (GR) process. Geomorphic reclamation (GR), encompassing restoration and rehabilitation, is a modern approach to mining reclamation that focuses on restoring disturbed mine sites by mimicking natural landforms and processes. It serves as an advanced alternative to traditional landform design methods used since the 2000s, promoting ecological stability and sustainable landscape recovery. Geomorphic reclamation aims to replicate natural landforms and restore ecosystem functionality and biodiversity at degraded mine sites under post-mining conditions. In this study, we utilized a combination of remote sensing and fieldwork techniques to quantify morphometric parameters, including Drainage Density (DD), ridge-to-head-of-channel distance ([X.sub.rh]), and A-channel length. These variables facilitated the identification of suitable reference areas for geomorphic reclamation of mining sites. We mapped the natural drainage network by integrating multiple data sources and analytical tools. We utilized Google Earth imagery and 12.5 * 12.5 meter ALOS DEMs for automated drainage network extraction. ArcGIS 10.8.1 was employed to analyze the drainage data, while fieldwork was conducted to validate and compare the results derived from our datasets. The findings for parameters such as A-channel length and slope gradient demonstrated a high degree of consistency across satellite imagery, GIS analysis, and fieldwork. However, there was a significant difference in the results for parameters such as [X.sub.rh] and DD. Generally, remote sensing tools can be used to select reference areas for geomorphic reclamation. However, caution should be exercised when using remote sensing tools for certain parameters, such as the ridge to head of channels and DD, as they may not always be accurate. Therefore, a combination of remote sensing and fieldwork analysis provides the most accurate and reliable result for selecting reference areas for geomorphic reclamation.
Journal Article
Voting Yes for Funding Public Parks: The Effectiveness of Social Media Communication in a Tax Referendum Campaign
Although local park and recreation agencies rely on various types of funding, tax-based allocations are the most significant funding source. Unfortunately, tax-based allocations have not kept pace with growing user demands and maintenance backlogs. As such, successful tax referenda are becoming critical for sustained operations and capital investment. Among the various activities that may sway public opinion, strategic messaging through a variety of media may be one of the most important. Using a county-level public park agency’s 2020 tax referendum as a case study, the purpose of this study is to identify successful communication strategies of open space referendum campaigns that secure support from voters. Data were collected from the campaign’s official Facebook page to examine what message content and post type were effective in increasing voter awareness and engagement. Results from regressions showed that messages that explained the ballot in plain language (e.g., Simplify Ballot Language), demonstrated support or approval from local organizations or local champions/celebrities (e.g., Endorsement), broke down the total amount of tax being requested (i.e., Temporal Reframing), and empha-sized the direct benefits if the referendum were passed (i.e., Direct Outcome) were most effective in increasing the awareness of the referendum. Among Facebook page followers, posts that demonstrated campaign efforts/activities (i.e., Demon-stration) and acknowledged individuals’ or organizations’ efforts to support the campaign (i.e., Acknowledgement) effectively increased engagement. In terms of Facebook post types, photo posts and video posts generally performed better than link and shared video posts. The study has three main practical implications for open space referenda advocates and managers concerned with campaign commu-nication: (1) solicit and demonstrate support from highly regarded local organiza-tions or individuals; (2) emphasize the direct benefits and break down the total amount of tax being asked; and (3) use short videos and scenic images.
Journal Article
Independence referendums and nationalist rhetoric: the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Using the case study of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and the 2017 independence referendum, this article examines the nexus between independence referendums, nationalism and political power. It argues that the referendum in the KRI was held due to internal political competition and growing rebellion from the population against the poor economic performance and political situation rather than because the time was right for independence referendum. Focusing on the poor political and financial dynamics, as well as the lack of regional and international support for Kurdish independence, the article argues that independence was not a realistic goal and was rather used as a distraction amid internal turmoil. The example of the referendum in the KRI poses questions about the democratic credibility of such referenda, as the population were voting for an unachievable result and the referendum itself became a tool of internal political competition.
Journal Article