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A forensics approach to detecting election fraud -- The fingerprints of fraud -- Russia -- Ukraine 2004 -- Ukraine 2006 and 2007 -- The United States.
From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe the world has witnessed a rising tide of contentious elections ending in heated partisan debates, court challenges, street protests, and legitimacy challenges. In some cases, disputes have been settled peacefully through legal appeals and electoral reforms. In the worst cases, however, disputes have triggered bloodshed or government downfalls and military coups. Contentious elections are characterized by major challenges, with different degrees of severity, to the legitimacy of electoral actors, procedures, or outcomes. Despite growing concern, until recently little research has studied this phenomenon. The theory unfolded in this volume suggests that problems of...
A fresh and compelling interpretation of Russian politics by a leading authority, this textbook focuses on political developments in the world's largest country under Putin and Medvedev. Using a wealth of primary sources, it covers economic, social and foreign policy, and the 'system' of politics that has developed in recent years. Opposing arguments are presented and students are encouraged to reach their own judgements on key events and issues such as privatisation and corruption. This textbook tackles timely topics such as gender and inequality issues; organised religion; the economic krizis; and Russia's place in the international community. It uses numerous examples to place this powerful and richly-endowed country in context, with a focus on the place of ordinary people which shows how policy is translated to Russians' everyday lives.
To survive, all forms of government require popular support, whether voluntary or involuntary. Following the collapse of the Soviet system, Russia's rulers took steps toward democracy, yet under Vladimir Putin Russia has become increasingly undemocratic. This book uses a unique source of evidence, eighteen surveys of Russian public opinion from the first month of the new regime in 1992 up to 2009, to track the changing views of Russians. Clearly presented and sophisticated figures and tables show how political support has increased because of a sense of resignation that is even stronger than the unstable benefits of exporting oil and gas. Whilst comparative analyses of surveys on other continents show that Russia's elite is not alone in being able to mobilize popular support for an undemocratic regime, Russia provides an outstanding caution that popular support can grow when governors reject democracy and create an undemocratic regime.
This volume compares international and institutional accounts as alternative perspectives to explain why elections fail to meet international standards.
Violence in election campaigns is common across the African continent and beyond. According to some estimations, most African elections contain some degree of violence and most of this violence happens before elections, during the campaign. While campaign violence is a common problem, it affects citizens differently across localities. When violence and intimidation become an integral part of election campaigns in a locality, they become tools of sub-national authoritarianism that may effectively dismantle local democracy. This book focuses on the political geography of election violence in Africa, building on one important observation: elections in many African countries are highly regional ...
Globalisation and Domestic Politics addresses how a widely acknowledged and pervasive economic and social process and globalization affect democratic politics among both masses and elites. It inquires into the extent to which, and how, globalization affects the political attitudes and behaviour of ordinary citizens and the policies of political parties. Chapters discuss to what extent globalization affects the salience of left-right politics, the content of party programmes and promises, leadership evaluations, economic voting, electoral accountability, the influence of religion in politics, electoral turnout, political efficacy, satisfaction with democracy, and the quality of democracy. It ...
This book focuses on the intricacies of elections within Russian ethnic republics and political loyalty in these regions. Many of the ethnic republics support the Russian president and the ruling party to a significantly greater degree than the national average and serve as crucial regional pillars in maintaining the stability of electoral authoritarianism in Russia. Why are non-Russian voters so supportive to the Russian president? How does the ethnic factor contribute to the situation and what are the specific mechanisms involved? Through a comparative analysis of five ethnic republics – Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Komi, Chuvashia, and Yakutia – the author addresses these questions and uncovers the specific mechanisms of electoral loyalty alongside some erosion of electoral support for the authorities in recent years. This volume will be of interest to readers seeking to improve their understanding of contemporary Russia’s political regime, the logics of its sustainability, and potential points of vulnerability, as well as academic scientists and students of modern authoritarianism, ethnopolitics, elections, and Russian politics.
Norris counters current pessimism about the effectiveness of democratic programs monitoring and assisting elections worldwide, arguing for international engagement.
Autocrats must overcome a range of challenges as they seek to gain and maintain political power, including the threat that comes from both rival elites and discontented publics. The International Politics of Authoritarian Rule examines the ways in which international forces can encourage and assist autocratic actors in overcoming these challenges. Often, autocratic incumbents are strengthened in power by events on the international stage and by the active support of international allies. The book offers a typology of different international forms of influence on authoritarianism, and examines the ways in which external forces shape autocratic rule at the domestic level. The typology distingu...