Types Of Coalitions Research Articles

Presidential Preferences? The Supreme Federal Tribunal Nominations in Democratic Brazil

AbstractThis article studies the processes of nomination and appointment to the Supreme Federal Tribunal in Brazil made by Presidents Sarney through Lula da Silva. It shows that in relations with the Senate, presidential anticipation prevails over presidential dominance. Brazilian presidents are successful appointers because they invest great effort in the moment of selection, when potential candidates are tested in the juridical and political communities. As a consequence, a uniform Senate approval of candidates coexists with a differential pattern of candidate recruitment. Sometimes presidents can select close candidates from their government; sometimes first-choice candidates are ruled out for lack of consensus. The type of coalition the president heads and the number of vacancies available affect the president's chances of imposing a candidate. The filter posed by center-right parties in the Senate induces the selection of nominees with centrist preferences.

Targeting the Public Purse

This article analyzes the political dynamics underlying public financial management (PFM) reforms in the Philippines during the Benigno Aquino III administration (2010–present). By inviting widespread civil society participation throughout the budget cycle and by imposing greater transparency and accountability, they mark a substantial policy change in Filipino PFM. Centering on the evolution of public finance advocacy coalitions, this article argues a new type of coalition has emerged among technocratic nongovernmental organizations, which are now able to place “policy brokers” directly in the national administration. However, institutional structures, dependence on donors, and the contestability of core beliefs behind these activities raise doubts about whether they are sustainable. These doubts in turn raise fascinating theoretical and empirical questions.

Why Powerful States Don’t Go It Alone

Coalitions of Convenience: United States Military Interventions after the Cold War. By Sarah E. Kreps. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. 223 pp., $27.95 paperback (ISBN-13: 978-0-19-975380-2). Military coalitions have long been prevalent in interstate conflicts. However, to date, there is scant research on the politics of coalitions. Coalitions of Convenience seeks to expand our understanding of coalition formation by exploring when states that could fight alone seek to form coalitions and what type of coalition will form under varying conditions. Using the nature of the threat faced by a state and the time horizon for dealing with the threat, Kreps creates a tight and parsimonious theory for explaining both coalition formation and structure. The central debate in the book is between power and norms. Do states form coalitions based upon power calculations or do states choose multilateralism because of norms against unilateralism? In the end, the theoretical argument is a blending of the two, with more emphasis placed upon power. Kreps argues that states always prefer higher levels of legitimacy associated with operating multilaterally. However, a desire to preserve power drives this aspiration for greater legitimacy. States seek legitimacy as normative theories predict; but the motivation for this action is power and not a concern with following norms. This realist correction to normative arguments is an important contribution of this book and is sure to stimulate further debate. Part of the motivation for the theory …

TESTING A COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY PROBLEM‐SOLVING FRAMEWORK FOR COMMUNITY COALITIONS

Community problem solving is believed to help coalitions achieve community changes and subsequent population‐level reductions in targeted community health problems. This study empirically examined a community problem solving model used by CADCA, a national coalition training organization, to determine if the model explains how coalitions become effective community change agents and the extent to which it fits for different types of coalitions. The sample consisted of 551 substance abuse coalitions, and SEM was used to test the research questions. Results suggest the overall conceptual model fits the data and provides an adequate representation of the community problem solving process for coalitions. Additionally multi‐group modeling indicates the model fits for a variety of coalitions. CADCA's model appears to have wide utility and applicability and appears to have honed in on critical elements of community problem solving that may increase the likelihood of coalition success at reducing substance abuse within their community.

A new type of carpal coalition

A new type of carpal coalition

Multi-Stakeholder Road Pricing Game: Solution Concepts

A road pricing game is a game where various stakeholders and/or regions with different (and usually conflicting) objectives compete for toll setting in a given transportation network to satisfy their individual objectives. We investigate some classical game theoretical solution concepts for the road pricing game. We establish results for the road pricing game so that stakeholders and/or regions playing such a game will beforehand know what is obtainable. This will save time and argument, and above all, get rid of the feelings of unfairness among the competing actors and road users. Among the classical solution concepts we investigate is Nash equilibrium. In particular, we show that no pure Nash equilibrium exists among the actors, and further illustrate that even “mixed Nash equilibrium” may not be achievable in the road pricing game. The paper also demonstrates the type of coalitions that are not only reachable, but also stable and profitable for the actors involved.

Struggling for the Right to the (Creative) City in Berlin and Hamburg: New Urban Social Movements, New ‘Spaces of Hope’?

AbstractIn cities across the globe there is mounting evidence of growing mobilization by members of the so‐called ‘creative class’ in urban social movements, defending particular urban spaces and influencing urban development. This essay discusses the meaning of such developments with reference to the hypothesis made by David Harvey inSpaces of Capitalabout the increasing mobilization of cultural producers in oppositional movements in an era of wholesale instrumentalization of culture and ‘creativity’ in contemporary processes of capitalist urbanization. After briefly reviewing recent scholarly contributions on the transformations of urban social movements, as well as Harvey's hypothesis about the potential role of cultural producers in mobilizations for the construction of ‘spaces of hope’, the essay describes two specific urban protests that have occurred in Berlin and Hamburg in recent years: the fight for Berlin's waterfront in the Media Spree area, and the conflict centred on the Gängeviertel in Hamburg. In both protests artists, cultural producers and creative milieux have played a prominent role. The essay analyses the composition, agenda, contribution and contradictions of the coalitions behind the protests, discussing whether such movements represent the seeds of new types of coalitions with a wide‐ranging agenda for urban change. The essay finally proposes a future research agenda on the role of artists, cultural producers and the ‘creative class’ in urban social movements across the globe.RésuméDans les villes à travers le monde, on constate une mobilisation croissante des membres de la classe dite ‘créative’ dans des mouvements sociaux urbains afin de défendre certains espaces de la ville ou d'influencer l'urbanisme. La signification de ces évolutions est analysée en référence à l'hypothèse qu'a formulée David Harvey dansSpaces of Capitalsur la mobilisation accrue des producteurs culturels dans des mouvements contestataire à l'ère de l'instrumentalisation massive de la culture et de la ‘créativité’ dans les processus contemporains d'urbanisation capitaliste. Après une courte étude des récentes contributions sur les transformations des mouvements sociaux urbains et de l'hypothèse d'Harvey sur le rôle potentiel des producteurs culturels dans les mobilisations en vue d'élaborer des ‘espaces d'espoir’, deux contestations urbaines qui ont eu lieu ces dernières années à Berlin et Hambourg sont présentées: le combat pour les quais de Berlin dans le projet Media Spree et le conflit centré sur le Gängeviertel hambourgeois. Dans les deux cas, artistes, producteurs culturels et milieux créatifs ont joué un rôle déterminant. Cet essai analyse la composition, le programme, la contribution et les contradictions des coalitions qui soutiennent les contestations, tout en cherchant à savoir si ces mouvements sont les germes de nouveaux types de coalitions dont l'agenda se diversifie en faveur du changement urbain. Pour finir, un programme de recherches est proposé sur le rôle des artistes, des producteurs culturels et de la ‘classe créative’ dans les mouvements sociaux urbains à travers le monde.

A rare naviculocuneiform I coalition from Bronze Age Siberia

Naviculocuneiform coalitions are among the least common types of tarsal coalition, a rare congenital anomaly characterized by incompletely separated tarsal bones. Only a handful of cases have been documented from the archaeological record, none of which have been recovered from north central Asia or date to earlier than about 2000 years B.P. Here, we present a case of nearly complete osseous coalition of the left navicular and cuneiform I from the early Bronze Age (ca. 5200/5000–4000cal. BP) Lake Baikal region of Siberia (Russian Federation). We also provide substantial evidence for the congenital (rather than acquired) basis of this unusual condition and discuss, using modern clinical data, possible intra vitam complications.

Campaign Effects in Direct-Democratic Votes in Switzerland

The purpose of this article is to analyse the conditions under which referendum campaigns have an impact on voting choices. Based on a model of opinion formation that integrates both campaign effects and partisan effects, we argue that campaign effects vary according to the context of the popular vote (size and type of conflict among the party elite and intensity and direction of the referendum campaign). We test our hypotheses with two-step estimations for hierarchical models on data covering 25 popular votes on foreign, European and immigration policy in Switzerland. Our results show strong campaign effects and they suggest that their strength and nature are indeed highly conditional on the context of the vote: the type of party coalition pre-structures the patterns of individual voting choices, campaign effects are higher when the campaign is highly intense and they are more symmetric when it is balanced.

Engendering Democracy

The year 2011 will forever be known as the year of mass protests for regime change and democratization in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Opinions on causes and outcomes have focused on the role of young people, the demands of “the Arab street,” and the possible transition to a liberal, Islamist, or coalition type of governance. Middle East specialists have long been aware of the problems of authoritarian regimes, widening inequalities, high rates of youth unemployment, deteriorating infrastructure and public services, and rising prices attenuated only by subsidies. But something has been missing from recent discussions and analyses. Let us pose it in the form of a number of (socialist-feminist) questions. We have seen that “the Arab street” is not exclusively masculine, but what kind of democratic governance can women's rights groups expect? To what extent will Tunisian women shape the democratic transition and the building of new institutions? In Egypt, will an outcome be—to use a phrase coined by East European feminists in the early 1990s—a “male democracy”? How can a democratic transition benefit working women and the poor?

Coalition type and voter support for parties: Grand coalitions in German elections

While scholars have generally acknowledged that coalition governments are less accountable to voters than single party majorities, surprisingly little differentiation is made among different types of coalition governments. In this paper, we examine voter support for two very different types of coalition governments: those with a single large party and a junior partner and grand coalitions—governing coalitions between two large but ideologically dissimilar parties. We argue that grand coalitions differ from the more typical senior–junior partners in terms of the ability of individual parties to respond to their constituencies. We test this argument using survey data from four German Election Studies (GES), before and after each of the two German grand coalitions (1965, 1969, 2005, and 2009), which provide a unique opportunity to compare voter support for grand coalitions to those of the more typical senior–junior party model. We find evidence that voters responded to grand coalitions by moving away from their traditional voting patterns, and increasing their support for parties outside of the grand coalition, although this effect varies by the number of alternative parties.

Patient associations as stakeholders: a valuable partner for facilitating access to therapy

One set of important objectives of patient associations is to provide education, support, and advice to those affected by cardiac arrhythmias to ensure that they have access to appropriate diagnosis and treatment. In this perspective it is essential to establish a balanced partnership between patients and clinicians in order to facilitate the work of the patient association. Such associations must work under the guidance of and in consultation with a medical advisory committee for the production of appropriate and validated educational and awareness materials. Patient association coalitions represent and promote partnerships between professionals, patients, government, organizations, and industry. The power of an alliance works in bringing pressure to bear, in lobbying on behalf of specific patient groups. This type of coalition may also act as a depository for relevant databases and contact information relating to all the members who participate in the coalition, and facilitate rapid and complete communication between all interested parties. When fully developed it may also serve to provide current information on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of cardiac arrhythmias to patients, paramedical staff, and physicians. The Arrhythmia Alliance, initially established in the UK but now developing on an international basis sources, collates, and reflects views and data collected from members, bringing beneficial perspectives to the fore to ensure that change is led by the people and for the people.

The Campaign and its Dynamics at the 2009 German General Election

This article analyses the 2009 German federal election campaign with specific emphasis on the three categories of actors that play key roles in contemporary election campaigns – parties and their candidates, the mass media, and the voters. Mainly aiming at a theoretically informed comprehensive description, the article addresses some key themes of the recent literature on electioneering. The Bundestag election on 27 September 2009 was preceded by a campaign that lacked drama. There were several reasons for the absence of a more polarised campaign, not least the fact that CDU/CSU and SPD had been tied together in a Grand Coalition and had to deal with massive political challenges. Against the background of an unclear picture painted by the media, the feasibility and likelihood of various types of government coalitions were dominant topics of the campaign. The CDU/CSU in many respects had an edge over the SPD.

Identification of tarsal coalition and frequency estimates from skeletal samples

ABSTRACTTarsal coalition is a congenital defect that results when adjacent tarsals fail to separate properly during embryonic development. Anatomically, coalitions present as non‐osseous bridges of cartilage or fibrocartilage – and occasionally as osseous bridges – between two neighboring bones. In skeletons, non‐osseous tarsal coalitions are recognizable as matching lesions between two bones at predictable locations. These coalitions are of interest because they are known to be heritable and are therefore useful for tracing genetic relatives in archaeological cemeteries, because they can be misinterpreted in skeletons as trauma or joint disease, and because they can result in associated pathology. However, despite a considerable literature on tarsal coalition, estimates of coalition frequencies disagree considerably, perhaps due to biases inherent in clinical sampling. In order to gain a better estimate of tarsal coalition frequencies in human populations, data were gathered on 342 European‐Americans from the Terry Collection (Smithsonian Institution), 536 South Africans from the Dart Collection (University of Witwatersrand, South Africa), and 756 medieval Danish skeletons (Anthropological Database, Odense University). The Danish skeletons are archaeological, with sample sizes by coalition type ranging from 366–507 individuals. Examples of eight different types of intertarsal coalition were identified among the 1634 skeletons examined. Overall frequency estimates for tarsal coalition ranged from 2.1%–3.5%. South Africans exhibited significantly higher frequencies in the midfoot, with naviculocuneiform I coalition (1.0%) the most common type. Conversely, no coalitions of the midfoot were found among the Euro‐Americans or medieval Danes. Instead, these groups exhibited calcaneonavicular coalition as the most common type in the hindfoot (2.0% and 2.1% respectively), while calcaneonavicular coalition was among the least common in the South Africans (0.2%). Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Vertical coalitions in hierarchical three-level control systems of fan-like structure

By the example of a river-water quality control system, we consider different types of coalitions in hierarchical systems of fan-like structure for three-level control. We use the method of incentives as a control method. Algorithms for constructing equilibriums and a number of typical examples are presented. Conclusions on the benefits and shortcomings of different types of vertical coalitions are made.

Osseous talocalcaneal coalition in a medieval skeleton (ca. 1050 AD)

AbstractTarsal coalition (TC) is defined as an abnormal fusion of two or more tarsal bones. The fusion may be fibrous, cartilaginous or osseous and can be congenital or acquired in response to infection, articular disorders, trauma, neoplasm or surgery. We report a case of a talocalcaneal (TCC) type of tarsal coalition in a medieval skeleton from Northwest Germany dating to ca. 1050 AD. The fusion is of osseous type. Plain AP radiographs and computed tomography confirmed the macroscopic diagnosis. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Bildgebende Diagnostik der Lunatumnekrose

In recent years, our increased knowledge about the biomechanics of the wrist and reparative mechanisms in osteonecrotic bones has significantly influenced the imaging procedures in Kienböck's disease as well as its differential diagnosis. In addition to projection radiography, computed tomography (CT) is used for evaluating the osseous microstructure, and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for determining the viability of bone marrow. CT is essential in the morphological staging of Kienböck's disease due to its high sensitivity in detecting proximally located fractures (stage IIIa) and in visualising osteoarthritic lesions (stage IV). Bone marrow oedema of the lunate bone as well as the zonal layers including the proximal necrotic zone, the middle reparative zone, and the distal viability zone can be depicted only with the use of MRI. Furthermore, intravenous application of gadolinium is mandatory in MRI, because vascular differentiation of the osteonecrotic zone from the reparative zone is reliable only in MRI perfusion studies. By evaluating clinical, biomechanical and imaging findings synoptically, a differentiation of Kienböck's disease from ulnocarpal impaction syndromes, intraosseous ganglion cysts, the fibrocartilageous type of lunotriquetral coalition, and post-traumatic and inflammatory lesions is possible in over 80% of all cases.

A Two-Level Analysis of the Determinants of Direct Democratic Choices in European, Immigration and Foreign Policy in Switzerland

This article employs a unique data set — covering 25 popular votes on foreign, European and immigration/asylum policy held between 1992 and 2006 in Switzerland — in order to examine the conditional impact of context upon utilitarian, cultural, political and cognitive determinants of individual attitudes toward international openness. Our results reveal clear patterns of cross-level interactions between individual determinants and the project-related context of the vote. Thus, although party cues and political competence have a strong impact on individuals’ support for international openness, this impact is substantially mediated by the type of coalition that is operating within the party elite. Similarly, subjective utilitarian and cultural considerations influence the voters’ decision in interaction with the content of the proposal submitted to the voters as well as with the framing of the voting campaign.

Partnership formation and binomial semivalues

Partnership formation in cooperative games is studied, and binomial semivalues are used to measure the effects of such a type of coalition arising from an agreement between (a group of) players. The joint effect on the set of involved players is also compared with that of the alternative alliance formation. The simple game case is especially considered, and the application to a real life example illustrates the use of coalitional values closely related to the binomial semivalues when dealing with partnership formation and coalitional bargaining simultaneously.

Symptomatic Coalition Between the First and Second Metatarsals in a Child

Coalitions of the foot are relatively uncommon abnormalities, occurring in approximately 1% of the population. Talocalcaneal and calcaneonavicular are the most common types of coalitions. Coalitions in the forefoot, however, are rare, with only a small number of case reports in the literature. We report on a unilateral, symptomatic coalition between the first and second metatarsals in a 12-year-old girl who presented with a several-month history of intermittent medial-sided, dorsal forefoot pain and difficulty with shoe wear. Her preoperative examination was notable for a firm, nontender dorsal medial forefoot mass centered between the first and second metatarsals. While the first metatarsal head was level with the second metatarsal head in the sagittal plane, the metatarsals were rigidly fixed to one another. First metatarsal-medial cuneiform motion was reduced compared to the unaffected foot. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a bony and cartilaginous coalition between the first and second metatarsals. Following resection, an immediate improvement was noted in motion between the first and second metatarsals, as well as the first metatarsal and medial cuneiform. In our patient, rigidity between the first and second metatarsals contributed to a stiff first ray with higher plantar pressures beneath the first metatarsal head with walking. The abnormal kinematics likely contributed to her medial forefoot pain with prolonged ambulation and sports activities. Prompt identification and resection of these less common coalitions affecting the forefoot allows symptomatic relief and restoration of normal kinematics.