Author Archive: Democratic Audit UK
Deadlines, delegate divisions and demographics helped determine the New York presidential primary result
Yesterday the Empire State held its presidential primary contest for the Republican and Democratic parties, with local billionaire Donald Trump and the state’s former US Senator Hillary Clinton winning the most delegates in the respective GOP and Democratic contests. Susan Orr writes that while in previous years, party nominations have been sewn up by this time; […]
Can we really not predict who will vote for Brexit, and where?
In a recent Guardian article, Simon Jenkins suggested that voter decisions regarding the EU referendum will be made on the basis of gut instinct alone, and that personal characteristics and previous party support provide no guide. Using a new modelling strategy applied to a large body of YouGov opinion poll data, Ron Johnston, Kelvyn Jones and David Manley address Jenkins’ claim, and find it wanting. The […]
A ‘Jeffersonian’ wall or an Anglican Establishment: The US and UK’s contrasting approaches to incorporating Muslims
Drawing on their recent research Nasar Meer and Tariq Modood consider whether the British or American social compact is conducive to the incorporation of Muslims, and find that while the US may be more of a secular state, the UK is a more secular society and with a more secularist political culture. They argue that […]
The junior doctors’ new contracts reveal the redundancy of equality assessments when policy goals are already determined
The government recently released its Equality Analysis of the contract it intends to impose on junior doctors. Its ‘tortured logic’ reveals much about what the government really thinks about gender equality and work and family life issues, argues Jill Rubery. Similar PostsAudit 2017: How effectively is gender equality achieved in the political and public life of […]
Satire is (un)dead: How comedy became a language of democratic politics
Like all forms of resistance, comedy can both shore up and legitimate existing political structures, yet it can also, in certain moments, work to encourage revision. Here, James Brassett looks specifically at the critical nature of radical British comedy by the likes of Russell Brand, Charlie Brooker, and Stewart Lee and writes that it raises […]
Book Review: The Presidentialization of Political Parties: Organizations, Institutions and Leaders edited by Gianluca Passarelli
Edited by Gianluca Passarelli, new collection The Presidentialization of Political Parties: Organizations, Institutions and Leaders, explores why the level of party presidentialisation varies between countries, arguing that this is linked to both constitutional design and the genetic features of political parties. Although he finds that some of the country case studies provide stronger evidence for […]
What do the latest polls tell us about the elections in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales?
Dr Kenneth Bunker considers the polls that have been fielded in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and what they tell us about the upcoming elections. He writes that while it is difficult to predict what will happen in Northern Ireland, it looks like the SNP and Labour respectively are heading for convincing wins in Scotland and […]
Higher campaign costs are not necessarily bad for voters
The increasing cost of political campaigns and its impact on the electoral process are issues of paramount importance in modern democracies but higher campaign spending does not always hamper accountability, write Carlo Prato and Stephane Wolton. Drawing on recent research, they argue that when constituencies are biased towards a party, a higher campaign cost intensifies […]
When assessing electoral systems we should consider the degree of personalisation as well as proportionality
A new book by Alan Renwick and Jean-Benoit Pilet examines the ‘personalisation’ of electoral systems. In this post, Alan Renwick outlines what such personalisation is, what patterns of personalisation the book identifies across European democracies, and what all of this means for the future of electoral reform in the UK. He argues that the importance […]
The Trade Union Bill 2016 and its likely effect on strike action
Astra Emir considers the impact the Trade Union Bill currently making its way through the Lords would have if it came into force. She writes that although the Bill could well limit the number and effect of strikes as the Government hopes, there may be other consequences, for example in terms of unions using leverage to escalate disputes […]
Democratic Audit's core funding is provided by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Additional funding is provided by the London School of Economics.