Electoral Politics Research Articles

Are Women Politicians Kind and Competent? Disentangling Stereotype Incongruity in Candidate Evaluations

AbstractAcademia and political campaigners conventionally cast gender stereotypes as an electoral liability for women in politics. Incongruent stereotype expectations place women in a double-bind where they either fail the social demands of political leadership or they breach gender norms related to femininity—with potential backlash due to stereotype violation in both cases. Two decades of research offer conflicting conclusions regarding the role of stereotype incongruity in candidate evaluations and its electoral consequences for women in politics. This paper theoretically revisits and empirically tests core assumptions of stereotype incongruity as a driver of gender biases in political communication. In a series of four online survey experiments, this study examines incongruity in trait expectations (study 1), trait inferences (studies 2 and 3), and trait evaluations (study 4). Results show that voters expect and infer incongruity in candidate traits for women and men politicians only in few but notable cases. Moreover, voters punish candidates of both gender groups similarly for displaying stereotypically undesirable traits but reward female politicians more strongly for displaying desirable communal traits. The findings have important implications for the understanding of persistent biases that women face in electoral politics.

Dynastic Female Politicians and Family Rule in Thailand: Evidence from the 2019 and 2023 General Elections

ABSTRACT Previous research has shown that the majority of Thailand’s female Members of Parliament (MPs) elected in or before 2011 came from political families and constituted one small yet important part of the country’s dynastic democracy. This paper examines whether this pattern continued in the last two general elections of 2019 and 2023. It shows that a sizeable number of female MPs elected in 2019 and 2023 are related, by blood or marriage, to male MPs. While the restoration of electoral politics in 2019 has helped end military authoritarian rule, it has enabled well-connected and well-heeled women from political families to win parliamentary seats. Electoral dynasticism still constitutes a formidable, if not insurmountable, structural barrier to entry into Parliament for female candidates who do not have powerful family connections. Dynastic female MPs contribute, as in the previous decades, to adding a dynastic and patrimonial quality to Thailand’s democracy.

Military Organization’s Use of Social Media and Its Relationship with Politics: Evidence from Pakistan

The literature on social media (SM) use in government organizations primarily focuses on service delivery, publicity, and public relations. But, how a public sector security organization’s use of social media is related to electoral politics in a country is least understood. This paper conceptualizes the Pakistani military’s use of digital media, drawing on the theory of organizational impression management (IM). It further explores the impact of military-related social media activists (SMAs) on electoral politics in Pakistan. Structural equation modeling was used to test the conceptual model, demonstrating that the citizens’ connectedness with military-related SMAs is significant and positively associated with their voting realignments during the 2018 elections in Pakistan. The results revealed that the citizens’ greater online political participation increases their likelihood of connecting with military-related SMAs. On the contrary, their engagement with the offline political process reduces the chances of consuming the military’s impression management content over social media.

Voting Determinants and its Volatility in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Electoral Politics (2002-2013)

Voting Determinants and its Volatility in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Electoral Politics (2002-2013)

Exploring the Societal Aspirations of Youth in Himachal Pradesh, Bharat

This article draws from a research study conducted on domiciled youth of Himachal Pradesh. The objective of the study was to understand the social aspirations of youth in the state and their plans to contribute towards the society. Mixed method approach was used to fulfil the objectives of this study. The respondents selected for the study were youth who were between 20-25 years of age and were enrolled in professional courses in various Higher Education Institutions located in Himachal Pradesh. The respondents were selected using multistage nonprobability purposive sampling technique. Primary data was gathered using a structured interview schedule from 280 respondents and Focused Group Discussions. The study found that the respondents were desirous of serving the society after getting employed. The major areas in which they wished to contribute after settling down in life were welfare of youth with problems, education, and welfare of Gaumata (cows of local breed). The study also found that though a majority of respondents were also keen to become community leaders, very few showed interest in participating in electoral politics.

Election Laws and Electoral Reforms in India and U.K.

This paper examines the election laws and electoral reforms in India and the United Kingdom, highlighting their evolution, current frameworks, and ongoing challenges. India, the world's largest democracy, operates under a legal structure largely defined by the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and is overseen by the Election Commission of India. The Indian electoral system, based on the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) model, has undergone significant reforms to address issues of transparency, voter fraud, and campaign finance, including the introduction of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs). In contrast, the United Kingdom's electoral system, rooted in centuries-old traditions, is regulated by laws such as the Representation of the People Acts and the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act, 2000. While the UK also employs the FPTP system, it faces criticism for not reflecting the proportionality of votes. Recent reforms in the UK have focused on improving voter registration, addressing electoral fraud, and debating alternative voting methods like the Single Transferable Vote (STV) to enhance democratic representation. The study identifies both similarities and divergences in the electoral processes of these two democracies, emphasizing the impact of their respective legal frameworks on electoral integrity and democratic participation. It also explores ongoing debates and proposed reforms aimed at enhancing the inclusiveness, fairness, and transparency of elections in both nations.

STRATEGIC INNOVATION AND POLITICAL TRIUMPH: APPLYING THE BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY APPROACH IN ELECTORAL CAMPAIGNS

In the dynamic realm of electoral politics, achieving victory hinges on strategic innovation and the ability to capture voter sentiment effectively. This paper explores the application of the "Blue Ocean Strategy" to electoral campaigns, drawing parallels between business strategy and political success. Originating from the business sector, the Blue Ocean Strategy advocates creating uncontested market spaces by simultaneously enhancing value and reducing costs, thereby redefining competitive dynamics. By analyzing Canadian Prime Minister Trudeaus electoral triumph in 2015, where innovative strategies targeted non-traditional voters through positive messaging and digital engagement, this paper illustrates how political actors can transcend traditional partisan strategies. It delves into key components of the Blue Ocean Strategy adapted to the electoral context, emphasizing the importance of strategic divergence from conventional tactics. This study offers insights for future electoral campaigns seeking to navigate and innovate in the complex landscape of contemporary politics.

The Divergence of the Influence of Ulama and Dayah in the Dynamics of Electoral Politics in East Aceh Regency

This research discusses the dlvergence of influence of ulama and dayah in electoral politics in East Aceh Regency. Use of electoral political theory (elections), using qualitative research methods. Findings from the results of research in the fileld regarding "Divergence of influence of ulama and dayah in the electoral political constellation in East Aceh Regelcy", can be concluded that: 1) The divergence of political influence that ulama and dayah have in the implementation of the electoral political constellation is very large, many people folllow or make ulama as a reference in determining their choice of politilal partiles in the general election in East Aceh Regency. 2) In providing support to political parties or election participants, ulama and dayah have causes or driving factors that cause divergence in poliltical support from ulama and dayah towards political parties in the implementation of elelctoral politilcs in East Aceh Regency.

WOMEN AS A STRATEGIC GROUP: WOMEN'S STRATEGY IN POLITICAL NETWORKS THROUGH THE ECONOMIC AREA

Abstract Women’s participation in economic field and politic is often viewed in a dichotomous manner, where the economy is referred as "low politics." Women’s participation in economic organization is also seen as non-strategiv activism, which interpreted as activities that are distant or excluded from electoral politics and has less influence on the decision-making process. This research aims to challenge the argument and suggests that women's roles in the economy are indeed interconnected with the political sector. The study argues that women use their institutional capital as members of IWAPI to build relationships and political networks, where the appropriation of interests which means securing access to specific resources is the main goal. This research utilizes the Strategic Group theory from Evans Dieter-Evers and finds that women affiliated with IWAPI adopt personal and corporate appropriation modes in pursuing their interests. Personal appropriation is closely related to strengthening political networks through political parties to drive institutional change, while corporate appropriation is carried out by IWAPI members through expanding business networks and forming resource alliances. Furthermore, women can be categorized as a strategic group with business types and often employ cooperative strategies with other strategic groups. IWAPI is ultimately referred to as an organization formed by strategic groups of women for the appropriation of specific interests. Keywords: Women, strategic groups, agency, appropriation of interests

Hybrid Movements, Digital Technology, and the Rise and Fall of Far-Right Islamist Protest Mobilization in Indonesia

What explains the rise and fall of far-right Islamist protest mobilization in contemporary Indonesia? The 2016-2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election witnessed significant growth in support for and mobilization of the far-right. While far-right Islamist mobilization has occurred regularly since the fall of the authoritarian Suharto regime in 1998, its longevity and impact on electoral politics has historically been limited. I maintain that the 2016 far-right Islamist protest mobilization was enabled and disabled by the dynamic relationship between hybrid media and hybrid movement strategies. Hybrid thinking serves as a platform for understanding the increasingly diverse and complex nature of Islamist mobilization, generating new ways of exploring some of the classic concerns of social movement studies and technology. Moreover, previous research on the far-right primarily focuses on electoral and party politics, while studies on social movements and technologies often fall into technological determinism, providing only a limited understanding of one of the most pressing issues of our time. This study proposes an innovative analytic strategy to understand the complexity of contemporary Islamist protest mobilization, creating a hybrid movement that effectively spans different movements, constituencies, and institutions, all coexisting within a hybrid media environment that deftly merges elements of old and newer media logics to influence participation, collaboration, and coordination in the spheres of social movements and protest politics.

Mental health and the ballot box: A correlational analysis of Google searches for mental health and national election periods in the United States and the United Kingdom from 2008 to 2020.

In electoral contexts, mental health topics have recently attracted sociopolitical relevance, influenced by policy developments, election-related psychopathology and popular discourse about individual candidates. Yet, whether this reflects generalised trends or is contingent on election-specific and contextual factors remains difficult to ascertain. This study sought to examine correlations between Google Trends (GT) data on mental health and four national elections in the US and the UK from 2008 to 2020. This was intended to yield preliminary insights into the relevance of mental health topics amongst voters and the potential impact of electoral cycles on patterns of online engagement with these issues. Monthly and daily Search Volume Indexes (SVI) were gathered from the 'Mental Health' category on GT in the US and UK from 2008 to 2023. SVI were evaluated around the past four national ballots, comparing election-year intervals and baseline data from the preceding year. Statistical tests were conducted to assess SVI and short- and long-term dynamics. The results showed heterogeneous SVI patterns related to mental health during elections in the US and the UK. In the US, there were statistically significant SVI increases proximal to the majority of elections as compared to data in the same calendar year, but these did not typically exceed baseline SVI. However, interestingly, divisive US contests showed correlations with several elevated SVI measures in the same and previous years. Conversely, there was a lack of consistent longitudinal trends in UK elections, perhaps informed by its disparate sociopolitical landscape. These findings underline the composite relationship between electoral politics and popular engagement with mental health topics around national votes, suggesting that this is driven more by situational factors rather than a recurrent electoral effect or signs of burgeoning engagement. Detailed research is required to understand the nuances and causality behind these dynamics and their wider implications.

Seachange Migration, Outer Metropolitan Suburbanisation, and Marginality: The Electoral Politics of the Central Coast of New South Wales, 1949–2001

Seachanging and the expansion of suburbia led to important changes in Australia's human geography during the second half of the twentieth century. However, the implications of domestic migration on electoral politics have received only limited study. The Central Coast of New South Wales was one place where these two patterns of movement converged and which came to be routinely identified in public debate as electorally marginal. In reviewing this discursive positioning across both federal and state politics over several decades, the article examines how the region's marginality was often linked to the social mix created by migration primarily from Sydney, among which retirees and long distance commuters received particular attention as cohorts of voters. The analysis then turns to electoral competition in what was thus seen as a contestable space. This spanned national, state, and local issues and the major parties sometimes pre‐selected candidates offering very distinct value propositions. Overall, the Central Coast's regional political discourse reflected wider understandings of voting realignment seen around Australia, including changing perspectives on class, but also highlights how migration created new, formative communities where marginality was viewed as an important part of local political identity and practice.

Internalizing Pancasila Values among the Younger Generation in Jakarta in the Context of the 2024 Presidential Election in Indonesia

The internalization of Pancasila values among the younger generation is significant for a more in-depth study ahead of the 2024 presidential election in Indonesia. This has become a hot issue as material for study, especially after the 2024 presidential and vice presidential candidate debate took place. This research aims at 3 things: First, to inform the importance of internalizing the Pancasila values among the younger generation to welcome the 2024 election; Second, to instill Pancasila values in the younger generation in responding to currently developing political dynamics; Third, to strengthen implementation of Pancasila values in political ethics by socializing them among the younger generation to realize peaceful elections in 2024. The mixed method used for this research is quantitative data collection, using qualitative descriptive techniques with text analysis. The distribution of questionnaires conducted directly and online is based on the theory of social reality construction, with the concept of internalization being the focus. This research shows 3 things: First, the younger generation received information regarding the importance of internalizing Pancasila values in creating peaceful elections in 2024. Second, researchers succeeded in socializing the effort to instil Pancasila values in the younger generation in responding to political dynamics in the 2024 elections. Third, ethical politics in peaceful elections have been socialized by strengthening Pancasila values to make the situation more conducive to implementing peaceful elections. It is hoped that this research can become a consistent and sustainable national movement for the upcoming elections and prepare the younger generation to have a peaceful and constructive mentality.

Online Abuse of Politicians: Experimental Evidence on Politicians’ Own Perceptions

AbstractCriticism from dissatisfied citizens is an inevitable part of being an elected politician in a democracy. However, when negative feedback from citizens turns into outright abuse, this can have pernicious personal and democratic consequences. In this study, we therefore investigate how politicians perceive criticisms, insults, threats, and sexist remarks in social media comments. Based on a survey experiment with more than 700 politicians from the local, regional, and national levels, we show that politicians’ assessment of the abusiveness of negative messages are not only affected by the content of the messages but also by political ideology and gender. Left-leaning politicians find negative social media comments to be more abusive than right-leaning politicians do. In addition, politicians are more averse to negative comments targeting women than negative comments targeting men, and male politicians are generally less averse to negative comments than female politicians are. Somewhat surprisingly, politicians are generally not affected by in-party biases, as they exhibit similar levels of aversion towards negative messages directed at co-partisans and out-partisans. While previous research has focused on the extent to which politicians receive online abuse, few studies have examined how politicians perceive potentially abusive messages, and our study thus provides novel insights into what exactly politicians consider to be abusive behavior on social media.

Analyzing election trends incorporating memory effect through a fractional-order mathematical modeling

This study proposes a new mathematical model to analyze and predict the results of a political election. In general, we predict or analyze the results using statistical methods; however, to minimize the effort of the study, we propose a fractional-order modeling approach. This study proposes a model to analyze and predict general election result trends in India, focusing on the state of West Bengal. To incorporate memory into the model, we consider the Caputo fractional derivative. The model solution’s positivity, boundedness, existence, and uniqueness were tested analytically. Numerical simulations were carried out to investigate the impact of the parameters and evaluate the model’s performance by incorporating the implications of the previous election for realistic situations. Following this, a qualitative analysis of the performance of political parties is discussed, and a prediction of the electoral victory is obtained.

The 2024 Presidential Election's Political Dynamics: The Changing of Governments and Dynasties

This article examines the political dynamics taking place during the presidential election of Indonesia in 2024, with a focus on the transition to a new government and the potential emergence of political dynasties. It analyzes the political changes that occurred during the campaign, election, and post-election, and how these changes affected political stability and the country's policy direction. Changes in public opinion, political communication tactics used by candidates and political parties, difficulties encountered during the transition to a new government, and the potential emergence of political dynasties—a phenomenon in which political power is concentrated in the hands of families or power circles—are all included in the analysis. The research method used is qualitative research with a literature study design. The data collection technique uses secondary data from reference sources such as legal products, research articles, and journals collected from Google Scholar, Portal Garuda, and news portals such as BBC Indonesia, BBC News, Kompas.com, and Bawaslu. The literature study technique uses a traditional review. This article seeks to offer a clearer understanding of the political processes influencing the 2024 presidential election result and its consequences for Indonesia's political future by exploring these dynamics.

FURTHER LIGHT on LANCASTER’S LATER EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

This article builds on the foundations provided by the History of Parliament Trust, utilising previously unconsidered documents from the papers of the Dukes of Hamilton to chart and analyse the conduct of parliamentary elections in later eighteenth-century Lancaster. It shows that these elections were more contentious than previously thought; the full range of political issues at play in these elections, and the engagement of the freemen electorate with these; and forms of electoral management and organisation in use that were not known in the borough until now. It places these new insights in the context of Lancaster’s electoral politics through the long eighteenth-century, and draws out developments in this period that played an important role in the borough’s nineteenth-century elections.

Understanding of Hybrid Political System of Islamic Republic Iran: The Case Study of General Election 2024

The Islamic Republic of Iran possesses a hybrid political system. It encompasses both elements of democracy and Islamic theocracy. As a unique model of the Islamic governmental system, the political system in Iran rests on dual sources of legitimacy. The objective of this paper is to examine the voter behaviour and the result of the 2024 elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as to study the impact of president death on the election schedule. This election recorded the lowest turnout in history. The voter behaviour, attitude, and concerns towards Iranian politics and electoral politics also studied. The factors that caused low turnout is also discussed. The data for conducting this research is collected from journals, articles, official websites, and other secondary sources. The study concluded that the hope of no political and social change in Iran exploits the voters and that’s the main reason of low turnout in elections 2024. This study recommends that Iran’s government should focus to make electoral process modern, and policies should be flexible.

Ghana’s 2020 electoral politics: an assessment of the electoral commission

Ghana’s 2020 electoral politics: an assessment of the electoral commission

LGBTQ+ Sociopolitical Engagement: Examining the Role of House Ball Community Involvement and LGBTQ+ Community Connection.

Recent events such as the Black Lives Matter movement, COVID-19, and political elections have highlighted the power of a socially and politically engaged society. One under-researched cultural pillar at the core of sociopolitical resistance for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people of color (POC) has been the House Ball Community, a dynamic subculture made up of intricate social networks. This study uses data collected for the Social Justice Sexuality Project (N = 246) to examine LGBTQ+ community connection and House Ball Community involvement as predictors of LGBTQ+ and intersectional LGBTQ+ sociopolitical engagement. Two continuous variables, community connection and sociopolitical engagement (consisting of separate scales about LGBTQ+ individuals and LGBTQ+ POC), were included in the analysis. Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships between these variables. While community connection was significantly associated with both scales of sociopolitical engagement, House Ball involvement was only associated with intersectional LGBTQ+ sociopolitical engagement. Relative to community connection, House Ball involvement was more strongly associated with intersectional LGBTQ+ sociopolitical engagement. Findings suggest that House Ball involvement may influence behavior for LGBTQ+ POC. Authors discuss implications for intersectionality in social movements and culturally responsive direct, community, and systems-level social work practice within the current U.S. sociopolitical landscape.