http://hdl.handle.net/2262/70 Political Science 2013-05-21T14:43:16Z http://hdl.handle.net/2262/64043 Title: The parliamentary election in Ireland, February 2011 Author: GALLAGHER, MICHAEL; COURTNEY, MICHAEL Abstract: The three-party coalition government formed in 2007 between Fianna Fáil, the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats appeared to have a bulletproof majority, and there was every reason to expect that, like its two immediate predecessors, it would last the full five-year term. However, the global recession that began later that year and hit Ireland with full force in mid-2008 quickly reduced the likelihood that the government would survive until 2012. In September 2008 the crisis in the Irish banking system, which had over-stretched its loan books far beyond the realms of prudence in the previous decade, was finally exposed following the collapse of Lehman Brothers. After the event there were many questions as to why neither political actors, nor Ireland’s or the EU’s regulatory system, had noticed the many warning signs. On 29 September 2008 the Irish government guaranteed the deposits and loan books of the six Irish banks, and over the next two years it nationalised or effectively nationalised all but one of these. Consequently, the debts and losses of the banks were taken on by the taxpayer and a huge debt crisis emerged. Trust in and support for the government dropped sharply and never recovered, though the government remained in office for over two more years. Description: PUBLISHED 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2262/63903 Title: Economic voting in a crisis: the Irish election of 2011 Author: MARSH, MICHAEL ANTHONY Abstract: The paper explores a question raised by the 2011 Irish election, which saw an almost unprecedented decline in support for a major governing party after an economic collapse that necessitated an ECB/IMF „bailout‟. This seems a classic case of „economic voting‟ in which a government is punished for incompetent performance. How did the government lose this support: gradually, as successive economic indicators appeared negative, or dramatically, following major shocks? The evidence points to losses at two critical junctures. This is consistent with an interpretation of the link between economics and politics that allows for qualitative judgements by voters in assigning credit and blame for economic performance. Description: PUBLISHED 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2262/61827 Title: Citizens Assembly Author: BYRNE, ELAINE Abstract: We the Citizens set out with optimism, and indeed hope, to test the value to our democracy of including citizens more directly in decision-making. That hope has been truly vindicated. We now have unequivocal proof that citizens’ assemblies will work in this country, as they have in many others. We have shown that when you give people objective information and the opportunity to deliberate, not only do they make informed decisions, they also feel a greater connection to the democratic process. Description: PUBLISHED 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2262/61826 Title: National Integrity System Country Study Ireland Author: BYRNE, ELAINE; DEVITT, JOHN Abstract: The purpose of the National Integrity Study on Ireland is to assess the National Integrity System, in theory (laws and institutions) and practice (how well they work). It provides a benchmark for measuring further developments and a basis for comparison among a range of countries. It studies signal areas requiring priority action and also form the basis from which stakeholders may assess existing anti-corruption initiatives. This study helps explain, for example,which institutions or sectors,otherwise known as ‘pillars’ have been more successful and why, whether they are mutually supportive and what factors support or inhibit their effectiveness. This creates a strong empirical basis that adds to our understanding of strong or weak performers. Description: PUBLISHED 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2262/61822 Title: On Fair Lotteries Author: STONE, PETER Abstract: When James Watson and Francis Crick submitted to Nature their groundbreaking paper relating DNA structure to protein synthesis, they faced a choice. In what order were their names to be listed? Would it be “Watson and Crick,” or “Crick and Watson?” They resolved the matter by tossing a coin (Crick, 1988, p. 66) Description: PUBLISHED 2008-11-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2262/61821 Title: Introduction to A Citizen Legislature by Ernest Callenbach and Michael Philips Author: STONE, PETER Editor: Ernest Callenbach, Michael Phillips, and Keith Sutherland Abstract: In 1997, I was a graduate student in the Political Science Department at the University of Rochester. Like most graduate students, I was always on the lookout for ways to earn a little extra money. For this reason, I became very excited when I learned of a new research project the department was conducting that summer. A wealthy benefactor had left the department a fairly large sum of money, to be spent investigating various proposals to amend the U.S. Constitution. Graduate students were invited to apply for that money. All you needed to get some was a decent idea to investigate—an idea regarding how our Constitution could be improved. Description: PUBLISHED 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2262/61820 Title: Three Arguments for Lotteries Author: STONE, PETER Abstract: Philosophers and social scientists have offered a variety of arguments for making certain types of decisions by lot. This paper examines three such arguments. These arguments identify indeterminacy, fairness and incentive effects as the major reasons for using lotteries to make decisions. These arguments are central to Jon Elster’s study of lottery use, Solomonic judgments (1989), and so the paper focuses upon their treatment in this work. Upon closer examination, all three arguments have the same basic structure, in that they appeal to a single effect lotteries can have – a sanitizing effect. Lotteries have this effect because they make possible decision-making that makes no use of reasons, whether good or bad. All arguments for or against decision-making by lot must ultimately appeal to this effect. Description: PUBLISHED 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2262/61819 Title: Lotteries and Probability Theory Author: STONE, PETER Editor: Gil Delannoi and Oliver Dowlen Abstract: A variety of decisions seem to require resort to a coin toss, die roll, or the drawing of straws—in other words, a fair lottery. This raises the question of what features distinguish fair lotteries from alternative procedures. The intuitive answer is that a fair lottery generates each of its possible outcomes with equal probability. But probability is a contentious term. There are a variety of conceptions of probability, and it may be the case that equiprobable lotteries are useful for decision-making under some conceptions but not others. This paper considers four of the leading conceptions of probability—the frequentist, objective, subjective, and logical conceptions. It argues that unless the logical conception is adopted, it is impossible to make sense of the contribution that lotteries can make to decision-making. Description: PUBLISHED 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2262/61727 Title: Committees and Party Cohesion in the European Parliament Author: MC ELROY, GAIL Abstract: How do political parties enforce party discipline and promote cohesiveness in newly emerging legislatures? Political parties in established parliamentary democracies typically exhibit such high levels of unity that the question of how and why such discipline arises has, until recently, received little attention. But in emerging legislatures the process of transforming rudimentary party organisations into disciplined parties is not inevitable. This article examines if the political groups in the European Parliament (EP) attempt to enforce party discipline. More specifically, the article asks the question if MEPs who consistently vote against the party are punished in terms of their committee assignments. Description: PUBLISHED 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2262/60997 Title: Electing Women to the Dáil: Gender Cues and the Irish Voter. Author: MARSH, MICHAEL ANTHONY; MC ELROY, GAIL Abstract: At no time in history has the number of women elected to Dail ireann surpassed 14 per cent of the total membership. In spite of significant social changes, the use of a proportional electoral system and no obvious bias among voters, the number of female TDs remains stubbornly low by international standards. This paper examines why, if the prospects for women’s election are relatively good, so few women end up in public office. Using both aggregate and survey data, the issues of incumbency advantage, the electorate’s attitudes and the candidates’ differing experiences of the political process are explored. The evidence suggests that, all else equal, female candidates have as good a chance of being elected as their male counterparts, and the real difficulties in achieving equitable representation lie elsewhere, in the candidate emergence and nomination stages of the election game. Description: PUBLISHED 2011-12-01T00:00:00Z