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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Ngos, Political Protest, And Civil Society, Carew E. Boulding
Ngos, Political Protest, And Civil Society, Carew E. Boulding
Carew E Boulding
This book argues that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have an important effect on political participation in the developing world. Contrary to popular belief, they promote moderate political participation through formal mechanisms such as voting only in democracies where institutions are working well. This is a radical departure from the bulk of the literature on civil society that sees NGOs and other associations as playing a role in strengthening democracy wherever they operate. Instead, Carew Boulding shows that where democratic institutions are weak, NGOs encourage much more contentious political participation, including demonstrations, riots, and protests. Except in extreme cases of poorly functioning …
Political Competition And Local Social Spending: Evidence From Brazil, Carew E. Boulding, David Brown
Political Competition And Local Social Spending: Evidence From Brazil, Carew E. Boulding, David Brown
Carew E Boulding
Electoral theories of democracy imply electoral competition insures accountability. Using data on local elections, socioeconomic factors, and municipal budgets from more than 5,000 municipalities in Brazil for the years 1996, 2000, and 2004, we find that municipalities with more competitive elections allocate less to social spending compared to municipalities with little political competition. We argue that previous theory on political competition and public goods obscures the critical role that financial resources play in shaping the dynamics of social spending and political competition. Municipalities with small budgets lack the resources necessary to engineer convincing electoral victories. Where resources are negligible, voter …
Civil Society And Support For The Political System In Times Of Crisis, Carew E. Boulding, Jami Nelson-Nunez
Civil Society And Support For The Political System In Times Of Crisis, Carew E. Boulding, Jami Nelson-Nunez
Carew E Boulding
How does civil society affect support for the political system during times of political crises? Some argue that civil society strengthens support for political systems by increasing trust and participation. Yet recent scholarship demonstrates that civil society can also facilitate mobilization and dissent, which may undermine support for the political system especially in times of crisis. We test these competing claims using individual level data from a country in the midst of a major political crisis: Bolivia in 2004. We find that membership in civil society organizations leads to higher levels of diffuse support for the political system even during …
Do Political Parties Matter For Turnout? Number Of Parties, Electoral Rules And Local Elections In Brazil And Bolivia, Carew E. Boulding, David Brown
Do Political Parties Matter For Turnout? Number Of Parties, Electoral Rules And Local Elections In Brazil And Bolivia, Carew E. Boulding, David Brown
Carew E Boulding
Does the number of political parties influence voter turnout in developing democracies? Some scholars argue that large party systems facilitate matching voter preferences with a specific party, increasing turnout. Others argue multiparty systems produce too many alternatives, decreasing turnout. In developing democracies, there is debate over whether these institutions matter at all. We argue that party systems do matter for turnout in developing countries, but the relationship between turnout and the number of political parties is conditional on the electoral formula. Under proportional representation systems, large numbers of parties increase turnout. Under winner take all systems, large numbers of parties …
Ngos And Political Participation In Weak Democracies: Sub National Evidence On Protest And Voter Turnout From Bolivia., Carew E. Boulding
Ngos And Political Participation In Weak Democracies: Sub National Evidence On Protest And Voter Turnout From Bolivia., Carew E. Boulding
Carew E Boulding
How do NGOs affect political participation in weakly democratic settings? We know that NGOs can be an important part of moderate civil society by building trust, facilitating collective action, and encouraging voter turnout. This paper explores these relationships in weakly democratic settings. NGOs stimulate political participation by providing resources and opportunities for association. Where voting is seen as ineffective, new participation can take the form of political protests and demonstrations. This paper presents results from an original local level dataset from Bolivia on NGO activity, voter turnout, and political protest, showing a strong relationship between NGO activity and political protest …
Supporters Or Challengers? The Effects Of Nongovernmental Organizations On Local Politics In Bolivia., Carew E. Boulding, Clark Gibson
Supporters Or Challengers? The Effects Of Nongovernmental Organizations On Local Politics In Bolivia., Carew E. Boulding, Clark Gibson
Carew E Boulding
How do non-governmental organizations (NGOs) affect local politics in developing democracies? Specifically, do NGOs have systematic effects on the fortunes of incumbent political parties in local elections? Existing work predicts starkly contradictory political effects: some scholars claim NGOs should help incumbents by providing services for which politicians can claim credit, while others believe that NGOs should hurt incumbents by facilitating political opposition. We argue that both these effects are possible, depending on the size of a jurisdiction's population. In smaller populations, we hypothesize that NGOs facilitate collective action and decrease the ability of an incumbent to claim credit for their …