Political Landscape Research Articles

Contrasting Democratic Trajectories: A Comparative Analysis of Costa Rica and Nicaragua

The main focus of this paper is the democracy process in Central America. It is a case study focuses on Costa Rica and Nicaragua and its respective trajectories towards democracy. Despite their shared historical backgrounds, culture, similar size, and geographical location, Costa Rica has one of the most peaceful and enduring democracies, while Nicaragua has been a tumultuous country with internal conflicts that have directly impacted its democratization. The historical context of colonial exploitation, socio-economic disparities, and political unrest has significantly shaped the contemporary political landscape of the region. This research uses Costa Rica and Nicaragua as examples to highlight the diverse paths of democratic development in Central America. Since 1948, Costa Rica has been a democratic country, while Nicaragua has undergone a dual transition, one through revolution (1984) and the other through democratic elections in 1990. By emphasizing the unique historical peculiarities of the region, valuable insights into the democratization processes are provided. The study uses a historical method to analyze the democratization processes in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. It examines the impact of the conquest period, the role of key factors such as landed oligarchies and military forces, the influence of international economic crises, and the current democratic quality in both countries. The study shows that historical legacies have lasting effects on democracy.

Pork Barrel and Identity Politics: Explaining a Minority Party’s Electoral Success in Lithuania

Abstract Our article describes the lifecycle of Lithuania’s Electoral Action of Poles–Christian Families Alliance (LLRA-KŠS) party that has been a part of country’s political landscape for near 30 years. Despite its seemingly ethnic program, the party has a poor track record for delivering on its electoral promises. Yet, it has been continuously supported by the majority of Polish-speakers in Lithuania. The background of the nationalizing state, which encourages the party elites to conflate substantive representation with the signposting of ethnic identity in party politics, offers one of the reasons for the LLRA-KŠS’s electoral success. Although the party effectively consolidated its regional electorate, it came to control service delivery to their ethnic constituency by engaging in pork barrel politics. Poor performance in recent national and municipal elections put this strategy to bond with its voters into question, casting doubt on the LLRA-KŠS’s ability to survive as an ethnic party in the long term.

Media Communications as a Context for Imprinting Formation

The author of this article posits that media communications serve as a context for the formation of imprinting — a psychophysiological mechanism whereby impressions or images are etched into the brain, evolving into stable behavioral programs. The identification of these programs is facilitated through the analysis of media texts with a high attention coefficient. The study analyzed 200 media texts across various typological niches within the contemporary media system: online news outlets, social media platforms (VK, Odnoklassniki), and blogs, including the “Zen” platform. The findings indicate that different typological segments of the media system represent distinct behavioral programs. In online news outlets, behavioral programs are explicitly manifested in cognitive actions aimed at understanding processes related to Russia’s economic and political landscape. In social media, the prevailing behavioral program is encapsulated in a sentiment inspired by the phenomenology of serendipity. The “Zen” blog platform reveals imprinting through the categories of “irresponsibility,” “playfulness,” and “hooliganism.” In other blogs featuring high attention indices, imprinting is observed in the contemplation of professional issues related to activities in the digital space. The various typological niches of the media system are geared towards the formation of heterogeneous psychophysiological mechanisms, which transform into an axiological foundation that shapes diverse behavioral programs.

Partisan Politics in Greece from 1974 to the Economic Crisis and Beyond

Abstract This paper presents the main features of the Greek political landscape during the period 1974–2008 and examines whether the governing ideology of the country’s main political parties is correlated with specific fiscal and monetary policy patterns. The descriptive analysis reveals two key findings. First, the data indicates ideological differences in fiscal policy during the pre-1993 period, with PASOK governments exhibiting higher public spending and deficits, while the conservative New Democracy (ND) demonstrated greater fiscal restraint. Monetary policy during this period also appears to follow ideological differences. Second, in the post-1993 period, two trends emerged that do not seem to be ideologically driven. From 1994 to 2001, both major political parties in Greece focused on joining the Economic and Monetary Union, aligning their policies with the Maastricht Treaty. This resulted in a decrease in government expenditure and an increase in total revenue, even under the left-wing PASOK government that was in office during that period. However, after Greece joined the eurozone, external constraints such as the Stability and Growth Pact did not effectively enforce fiscal discipline. From 2001 onward, there was an increase in expansionary fiscal policies, even under the right-wing ND government, suggesting that government ideology had minimal influence on fiscal variables during this period. Greece provides an intriguing example of how partisan politics can intersect with international institutional and policy constraints. (JEL codes: H2 and H1)

The Impact of Political Stability on Regional Economic Growth in India: A Comparative Study of State-Level Development

This study explores the intricate dynamics of Indian politics, focusing on the interplay between historical legacies, electoral processes, and socio-economic factors shaping contemporary governance. As the world's largest democracy, India offers a unique perspective on political evolution influenced by colonial history, diverse cultural contexts, and rapid economic changes. The analysis covers the historical foundations of India's political system, the impact of major political parties and leaders, and the role of elections in determining policy outcomes. Key areas of focus include the influence of caste and religion on voting behavior, the effects of political campaigns and media, and the evolution of political alliances. The study also addresses current challenges such as corruption, governance inefficiencies, and the impact of globalization on domestic politics. Findings indicate that while India's democratic institutions are resilient, significant disparities in political representation and governance persist, highlighting the need for reforms to enhance transparency and address socioeconomic divides. This examination provides valuable insights into the complexities of democratic governance in a diverse and rapidly evolving society. Additionally, the study underscores the role of regional politics and local governance structures in shaping national policies. It highlights how regional parties and state-level leaders influence broader political trends and contribute to the complexity of India's federal system. By incorporating these perspectives, the analysis offers a comprehensive understanding of how local and national forces interact, shaping the overall political landscape of India

Economic and political freedoms as indicators for determining the political regimes of today

Economic and political freedoms are often used as key indicators to classify types of political regimes. These freedoms, which include freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and economic freedoms such as freedom of business and freedom of trade, significantly affect how a country is perceived as a democracy or an autocracy. Democracies are typically characterized by high levels of these freedoms, allowing open expression and market regulation that encourages competition and fair trade. In contrast, autocratic regimes often impose restrictions on both speech and economic activity, limiting the scope of political discourse and centralizing economic control. These freedoms not only reflect, but also shape the political landscapes of modern states. The synthesis of freedoms with political governance not only determines the internal dynamics of nations, but also affects their relationships on the global stage. Ensuring the development and protection of these freedoms is of paramount importance to the development of stable, prosperous and just societies around the world. Economic and political freedoms are the foundation of democratic government and are essential to the personal and economic well-being of citizens.The purpose of the work is to conduct a study of the influence of the scope of economic and political rights and freedoms on the formation of the political regime in the country. The object of the research iseconomic and political freedoms as key criteria for the classification of types of political regimes. The subject of the research is social relations that arise, change and cease in the process of consolidation and implementation of economic and political rights and freedoms and their influence on the formation and functioning of democratic and autocratic political regimes. Research methodology includes methodological approaches (active, systemic, comparative, axiological), general scientific methods of thinking (analysis, synthesis, abstraction, generalization), philosophical (dialectical, metaphysical, hermeneutic, epistemological), general scientific (historical, synergistic, functional, structural) and specifically scientific (formal-legal, comparative-legal) methods. As a result of the study, problematic issues related to the problem were analyzedwith the realization of economic and political freedoms as key indicators of the country's political regime, which significantly affect the trajectory of its development and international position.

Why do partners often prefer the same political parties? Evidence from couples in Germany

Abstract Research has demonstrated that couples have similar partisan preferences, a finding associated with political polarization. However, it remains debated to what extent different mechanisms contribute to this homogamy. Analyzing dyadic panel data from the German Socio-Economic Panel 1984–2020, we distinguish analytically between (1) direct political matching (i.e., partner selection on matching party preferences); (2) indirect political matching (i.e., social structural homogamy with political homogamy as a by-product); and (3) couples’ political alignment over time, to explain party preference similarity. First, we study matching among recently formed couples using an innovative method that compares real-world couples with three types of counterfactuals: couples that are matched (1) randomly, (2) by multidimensional social structural characteristics, and (3) by maximizing similarity in party preference. Second, we study couples’ political alignment over the course of relationships, tracking real-world couples over time and controlling for macro-level changes in the party-political landscape. Results indicate substantial political homogamy among recently formed couples, which is best explained by political matching (i.e., direct selection based on partisan preferences). Effects of social structural homogamy appear weak in comparison and rather stable across cohorts. Couples further align in their partisan preferences over time, but this effect is countered by an increasing heterogeneity of the German political landscape.

Beyond Words: Analyzing Emotions and Linguistic Characteristics to Detect Hoax-Related Tweets During Spanish Regional Elections

Detecting misinformation on social media, especially Twitter/X, is crucial during electoral periods. This study presents a comprehensive methodology using a Random Forest model to identify hoax-related tweets in the Spanish political landscape by analyzing their syntactic, semantic, lexical and emotional characteristics. The results reveal consistent emotional patterns where, the emotions most closely related to misinformation tend to be anger, disgust, fear and negativity. As a tangible outcome, we propose a tool designed to enhance the efficiency of fact-checkers in the detection of hoaxes. Also considered are the limitations of generic and multilingual approaches, supporting the use of context-specific strategies. The study demonstrates the effectiveness and generalizability, of the screening tool proposed as a means of combating misinformation in tweets during Spanish electoral periods.

The Amhara of Ethiopia: Embracing and Using Imposed Identity to Resist Injustice

Ethnic identities often solidify in response to perceived or actual injustices endured by groups. Historically, Amharic-speaking people in Ethiopia have resisted ethnic identification, aligning instead with broader Ethiopian nationalism. However, the rise of extreme ethnonationalist forces in the country has subjected the group to negative narratives, violence, and marginalisation, associating them with past state domination. In response, the Amhara have increasingly embraced ethnic identity as a form of self-defence. This study employs thematic analysis to explore the experiences of the Amhara people and the subsequent emergence of their collective identity, including the rise of resistance movements. Despite this new alignment, Amhara elites and activists paradoxically maintain a strong commitment to Ethiopian unity, reflecting a complex duality in their socio-political stance. This balancing act illustrates their struggle to survive while remaining loyal to national unity. The article argues that sustained violence and marginalisation have catalysed the rise of Amhara group consciousness, transforming Ethiopia’s political landscape. This study offers broader insights into how group mentality can emerge as a response to systematic and sustained injustice and the implications this has for redefining power politics in Ethiopia and beyond, providing insights for policymaking and future research.

Influence of social cleavage and media usage on political behavior: a case of Pakistan

Increasingly media provides ample opportunities for the audiences to make media choices and form different levels of exposure along political lines. Predominately, Pakistan’s media is recognized as an irreplaceable tool in sparking change in the political landscape, forgoing national-regional identities, and bridging social gaps. Due to recent technological advancements citizens’ media usage brought changes in the political behavior of citizens regarding party choices and voting behavior. Such changes in the political behavior of citizens affect decision making which is influenced by social cleavage of education, gender, and age. However, contrary to similar historical changes, these advances have widened rather than narrowed societal cleavages. The objective of the paper is to explore the influence of social cleavage and media usage on political behavior of students and faculty in Pakistan specifically NUML university, Islamabad. This research explores how social cleavage and recent advances in digital media access changed the political behavior of faculty and students of NUML university. The paper employed survey-based research with a sample of 250 faculty members and students of NUML, Islamabad. According to results, it is concluded that social cleavage of education, age, and gender plays a vital role in transforming the political behavior of both faculty members and students. Likewise, persistent use of social media portrays positive political participation along with accountable voting behavior, whereby males are more active in participating in political activities as compared to females. The paper has policy implications for a one-dimensional media approach for ignoring solutions to political problems and understanding citizenship rights. Focused and well-defined policies are required to bring youth back to broadcasting media.

Assessment of SADC Countries' National Adaptation Planning Health Impacts Inclusion: A Thorough Review.

Background: The impacts of climate change are recognised as a key challenge of the 21st century. By 2030, Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to have the globally highest burden of disease due to climate change. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a sub-region under-represented at a global level, in addressing current and future climate change-related health impacts. It specifically assesses the NAPs of Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Methods: A thorough review was conducted, analysing articles, government reports, and national communications related to NAPs and climate change health outcomes in the selected countries. Sources were evaluated against pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Main findings: All five countries prioritised health in their NAPs; however, health departments were excluded from assessments in two of the countries. Although health surveillance and early warning systems were included in the NAPs, there was limited evidence of their integration into broader climate, health, economic, and labour policies. National climate change focal points were identified, but governance and implementation at district and local levels were not well-documented. This review highlighted a need for greater inclusion of Indigenous and locally led knowledge. Common barriers identified included the lack of data with appropriate frequency and scale. Governance and implementation difficulties were also identified in all five countries; these difficulties included both a lack of coordination and a lack of institutional capacity. These challenges, especially a lack of political will to address the compound impacts of altered climate and health on all earth systems, are also found at the regional level. Conclusions: National strategies and implementation programs in SADC countries need to be agile in their ability to scale and adapt, yet they also need to include measurable actions and timeframes. Given the shared climate and health trends and the interconnected socio-economic, environmental, and political landscape, there is significant potential for regional coordination to address cross-border climate change impacts and to optimise resource use.

Invisibilization of the unwanted Others? Feminist, queer, and postcolonial perspectives on the 1951 Refugee Convention’s drafting

The 1951 Refugee Convention represents the legal cornerstone of today’s global refugee protection, which is supposed to apply to all refugees regardless of their origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation. But did the Convention’s drafters have such a complex approach in mind? This paper analyzes the Convention’s drafting at the United Nations and the final conference in the late 1940s and early 1950s from feminist, queer, and postcolonial perspectives. By drawing on subalternity and absence, and using interpretive analysis of historical sources, the paper focuses on politics—who was (not) involved in debates—and policy—who was (not) considered under the refugee definition. The analysis reveals pervasive asymmetries, with western androcentrism inherently shaping the drafting. The western, white, heterosexual man was the standard filter for the powerful decision-maker and the protection subject, whereas women, LGBTQ+ and colonized people were neglected in politics and policy. Their exclusion was not merely a side effect of the political landscape at the time but reflects the reproduction of western androcentric power, which ultimately invisibilized the subaltern Others in the creation of international refugee law.

Dynamics of Power: Analyzing Political Shifts in Latin America

This paper explores the intricate political landscape of Latin America, analyzing the region's historical evolution, contemporary challenges, and emerging trends. It examines how colonial legacies, socio-economic disparities, and external influences have shaped political institutions and governance across Latin American countries. The study also investigates the rise of populism, shifting political alliances, and the impact of globalization on national politics. By integrating historical context with current events, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the forces driving political change and stability in Latin America, offering insights into both regional dynamics and broader implications for international relations.

Women of Gülhane: multiple femininities and gendered spaces of ‘The Festival of Spring and Flowers’

This paper explores the discursive and spatial construction of feminine norms during the ‘Festival of Spring and Flowers,’ a momentous urban event held at Gülhane Park, İstanbul, from 1950 to 1960. Gülhane was a bustling and highly frequented location during the Festival, serving as a significant site of convergence, interaction, and contestation. Consequently, Gülhane provides a crystallized and concise cross-section of the ubiquitous femininities in 1950s Istanbul. Drawing upon textual and visual archival evidence, the author(s) argue that the Festival played a pivotal role in perpetuating gendered norms by consistently portraying ‘liberated, domesticated, and pariah’ femininities. Concomitant with the trifold construction of femininity, the space itself took on a ‘gendered persona’; Gülhane was depicted as a safe and sterile location when frequented by the ‘liberated and domesticated’ women, but was perceived as an ‘immoral’ space when ‘invaded’ by the ‘pariah’ women. The gendered history of 1950s İstanbul have been largely overlooked in the current scholarship, despite the emergence of new gendered norms alongside the transforming political landscape in Turkey during that time. This article will address this literature gap by conducting an in-depth historical analysis of the gender norms within the Festival. Additionally, this study will contribute to İstanbul’s urban literature by exploring the notable yet relatively uncharted Festival.

Left–right political orientation fails to explain environmental attitudes of Europeans outside Western Europe: exploring the moderating role of party positions and issue salience

ABSTRACT While conventional wisdom holds that right-wing individuals tend to present more negative attitudes toward environmental protection, McCright and colleagues find no clear relationship between political ideology and environmental attitudes in Central and Eastern Europe. The reason for this finding remains speculative. Our study expands on this phenomenon by exploring how party competition and, thereby, parties’ focus on a specific issue moderate this ideology-environment link at an individual level across 28 European countries. Using individual level-data from the European Value Study and party-level estimates from the Chapel Hill Expert Survey, our findings emphasize that respondents’ political orientation predicts their environmental attitudes more strongly when their preferred party prioritizes environmental issues. Notably, the left-right connection weakens when parties downplay environmental concerns, revealing why such issues have less impact in Central and Eastern, and Southern European political landscapes. This underscores the contextual boundaries of political ideology’s explanatory power in diverse political arrangements.

Immigration and Its Impact on Europe's Societal Security: Examining the Rise of Far-Right Parties (2014-2024)

This study examines the relationship between immigration and the rise of far-right parties in Europe from 2014 to 2024, focusing on the implications for societal security. It explores how far-right parties have capitalized on immigration, framing it as a critical threat to national identity and social stability. Applying the Copenhagen School’s securitization theory, the research analyzes how these parties have redefined immigration as a national security issue, thereby legitimizing more stringent immigration policies and exclusionary practices. The findings indicate that far-right parties have effectively utilized public anxieties and uncertainties surrounding immigration to influence the political discourse across Europe. This shift has significant socio-political consequences, posing challenges to the European Union’s foundational principles of integration, democracy, and human rights. The study highlights concerns over democratic backsliding, the erosion of social policies, and threats to freedom of movement and human rights. Additionally, it examines the potential impacts on the EU’s cohesion policy, foreign policy, enlargement process, and environmental sustainability. The research underscores a major transformation in Europe’s political landscape with far-reaching implications for the stability of the European Union and its member states.

Economic insecurity in the 2022 Italian general election: mobilization or withdrawal?

A right-wing coalition led by Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (FdI) emerged as the clear winner of the 2022 Italian general election, with voter turnout reaching its lowest level in the history of the Italian Republic. This result unfolded amidst a long-standing sense of economic stagnation, escalating inequality, and rising inflation. The article explores the relationship between individual economic insecurity and the 2022 election results. There is an assumption in both public and scholarly discourse that economic insecurity is responsible for the rise of populist and, particularly, populist radical-right (PRR) parties. Does the 2022 Italian general election represent a case of mobilization or withdrawal of the economically insecure electorate? Building on the literature on populist success and the economy’s effects on political behavior, we find that economic insecurity was not behind the success of the PRR parties (the League and FdI) in the 2022 election. It was also not associated with the vote for the main populist non-radical-right party in the Italian political landscape: the 5-Star Movement. On the contrary, in this election, economic insecurity mostly deterred voters from casting their ballots, and the success of the PRR can mostly be explained by anti-immigration attitudes.

Revolution and feelings: an introduction

ABSTRACT The recent fragmentation of the political landscape and the increasing uncertainty of its boundaries have made historians more acutely aware that politics does not exist only ‘high up’ and on the macro level but reaches deep into the private lives of people, shapes their identities and perceptions, influences their thoughts and emotions, regulates and modifies their behaviour. This makes the public/private divide a starting point from which to explore the multiple layers of politics. This is the perspective adopted in this Special Issue, that is dedicated to forms of revolutionary militancy in nineteenth and twentieth century Italy. Indeed, few other historiographical events are better suited than revolution and its concrete manifestation in history to be investigated from the perspective of private experiences, feelings, and emotions. The aim of these papers is, therefore, to describe the different Italian revolutionary cultures from the nineteenth century until the 1970s, analysing on the one hand the intersection between history and individual stories and on the other the emotional substratum of politics.

The Volebny Kompas Datasets on Slovak Voter and Party Positions

Three decades after the fall of socialist regimes in Central Europe, the successes of democratic transition face threats from broader trends toward skepticism, disengagement and distrust across Europe, though perhaps more intensively in the East. This backdrop, especially evident in Slovakia, underscores the need for comprehensive data on voter and political party positions during elections, a key opportunity for democratic renewal. Our article introduces two datasets from the Volebný Kompas project: the first, is a collection of 134,699 voter responses on 39 key issues, obtained through the Volebný Kompas voting advisory application for the 2023 snap Slovak Parliamentary Elections. The second dataset details the positions of 11 political parties on the same issues. Together, they provide a comprehensive view of Slovakia’s political landscape before a pivotal election which resulted in a dramatic change in government composition. As freely available and validated resources, these datasets can serve as an essential tool for understanding and navigating the evolving landscape of post-socialist democracies.

A Study of the World Wide Consequences of Populism on Democracy

This article explores the profound and far-reaching consequences of populism on democracy across the globe. Populism, characterized by its appeal to the masses and vilification of established elites, has become a potent force in shaping political landscapes worldwide. Through an interdisciplinary lens drawing on political science, sociology, and economics, we analyze how the rise of populism challenges the fundamental pillars of democracy. We investigate its impact on democratic institutions, governance structures, and political culture, highlighting its tendencies to exacerbate polarization, erode trust in democratic processes, and undermine the rule of law. Moreover, we examine the economic ramifications of populist policies, often marked by protectionism and short-termism, which can destabilize economies and exacerbate social inequalities. Additionally, we explore the implications of populism for international relations, including its potential to disrupt diplomatic norms and alliances. By synthesizing empirical research and theoretical insights, this article provides a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted consequences of populism on democracy, offering insights for policymakers, scholars, and concerned citizens seeking to safeguard democratic principles in an era of populist resurgence.