US Context Research Articles

Data-Driven Maintaining: The Role of the Party and Data Maintenance in the US Context

Political campaigning in the US is unique in the global context for its lack of attention to the role of the party, largely due to the centrality and power of campaigns. In the US context, successful data-driven campaigning (DDC) has often been covered by the press and analyzed by US scholars as an innovative campaign creating new tools and new tactics (and earning more media coverage for them). This research investigates the oft-ignored role of party organizations in DDC in the US, and in doing so, highlights the invisible work of data maintenance that is their purview. Methodologically, it brings together interviews with staffers from both party organizations and campaigns with thematic analysis of news coverage to answer questions about how the data-driven practices of parties versus campaigns differ, how parties’ data work is (and is not) covered, and what, in staffers’ views, contributes to such coverage. Ultimately, this research highlights how a lack of attention to party organizations’ work has gone hand in hand with a lack of attention to maintenance work in both academic and public discussions of DDC.

Validity of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure for Māori, Pacific, Asian & European adolescents

Abstract Background Ethnic identity is important for positive health and wellbeing outcomes, especially for Indigenous youth and adolescents from minoritised ethnic groups. The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) is widely used to examine ethnic identity as a general phenomenon across ethnic groups. However, evidence regarding its validity for adolescents from different ethnic backgrounds is mainly limited to the US context. This study investigated psychometric properties of the MEIM, for the first time, within a large ethnically diverse population-based sample in New Zealand. Methods We used data from the Growing Up in New Zealand study. Participants were 4500 12-year-olds and included 22.4% Māori (the Indigenous people of New Zealand), 16.7% Pacific, 14.8% Asian and 51.9% European young people. 45.7% were cisgender boy, 37.4% were cisgender girl, and 16.4% were non-binary, trans or unsure. We conducted factor analysis for the 12-item MEIM. Results Confirmatory factor analysis model fit tended to be best for a solution with two factors representing two ethnic identity subcomponents of Exploration and Affirmation/Belonging. A single ‘ethnic identity’ factor showed a slightly weaker model fit. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 2-factor structure with a slightly different item composition as compared to the original MEIM subscales. The findings were largely comparable across ethnic groups. Conclusions The MEIM appears to be a valid measure for Māori, Pacific, Asian and European young people. However, nuances may exist due to unique contexts including structural factors, societal norms and challenges, opportunities and access to cultural engagement. Ethnic identity is strongly linked to health and wellbeing including quality of life, self-esteem and life satisfaction. Therefore, we recommend acknowledging nuances of ethnic identity during an important time of development within diverse cultural contexts, by applying subscales and subgroup analyses where possible. Key messages • The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure is valid and appropriate to use at age 12-years among diverse ethnic groups including Māori, Pacific, Asian and European. • Nuances of ethnic identity should be acknowledged as an important factor for health and wellbeing, especially during critical times of transition for adolescents within diverse cultural contexts.

Top-down racial biases in size perception: A registered replication and extension of

Biases in the perception and judgment of members of race-based and ethnicity-based minority groups are prevalent, often resulting in detrimental outcomes for these individuals. One such bias is a threat-related stereotype, associating specific race and ethnicity-based social groups with aggressiveness, violence, and criminality. In the US context, Black men are often victims of such bias. Recent evidence suggests that threat-related stereotypes are also linked to biased perceptions, such that perceivers overestimate the body size of Black relative to White men, even in the absence of perceptual differences between them. That is, mere top-down social category information was sufficient to induce perceptual biases in size perception related to threat (Wilson et al., 2017, Study 7). Considering the novelty of this finding and its theoretical importance, we suggested a registered replication of this finding to assess its robustness across laboratories, participants, and social groups. We conducted a direct replication (Study 1, N = 280) of the effect reported by Wilson and colleagues, followed by a conceptual replication (Study 2, N = 280) that tested the generalization of the original findings to another population (Israeli residents) and a different target social group (Muslim Israelis) frequently stereotyped as threatening in this population. Participants did not overestimate the body size of Black or Muslim Israeli targets, pointing to a failed replication of the original effect. These findings suggest that the effects of purely top-down social category information on threat-related perception and judgment are less robust than previously assumed.

Local Newspaper Decline and Political Polarization – Evidence from a Multi-Party Setting

Abstract How does the decline of traditional news outlets affect political polarization? We provide novel evidence on this question by examining the link between local newspaper exits, media consumption, and electoral behaviour in a multiparty setting. Our empirical analysis combines a unique panel of all German local newspapers between 1980 and 2009, electoral returns, and an annual media consumption survey of more than 670,000 respondents. Using a difference-in-differences design, we demonstrate that local newspaper exits increase electoral polarization. Additional analysis points to changes in media consumption as the underlying mechanism driving this result: following local news exits, consumers substitute local news with national tabloid news. Our findings extend prior results in the US context to a multiparty setting and shed new light on the causal chain running from changing local news landscapes to electoral behaviour.

Seeking friends and influencers: business and labor groups lobbying in the Chilean congress

Abstract This study analyzes direct lobbying in the Chilean Congress, contributing to the debate over which legislators are targeted by interest groups. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset constructed from legally mandated records of lobbying meetings, we test theoretical implications predominantly derived from the US context within a different presidential democracy. The focus is on the legislative targets of business and labor groups. The results reveal a marked preference for lobbying allies, aligning with recent theories of information transmission and legislative subsidies. This pattern holds true for both business and labor groups and highlights the significance of ideological alignment for legislative lobbying in Chile. Additionally, the study finds that legislators with influential positions, such as those on key committees or centrally located in the bill collaboration network, are more frequently targeted. This research provides key insights into the dynamics of legislative lobbying in a non-US context, underscoring the generalizability of established theoretical frameworks.

Cost-Effectiveness of Fruquintinib for Refractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer in the USA.

The FRESCO-2 trial established the efficacy and safety of fruquintinib in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer. However, its cost-effectiveness in the US context is not well documented. This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of fruquintinib versus placebo for this patient population from the perspective of US payers. We developed a partitioned survival model on the basis of patient-level data reconstructed from the survival curves of the FRESCO-2 trial. Parametric estimation was conducted to estimate long-term clinical outcomes and medical costs over a lifetime horizon. Cost inputs and utilities were sourced from public data and previous literature. We used a discount rate of 3.0% per year for both clinical outcomes and costs. We adopted an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) threshold of US$100,000 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. We performed sensitivity and scenario analyses to examine the robustness of cost-effectiveness results. Fruquintinib treatment resulted in incremental gains of 0.108 life years (LYs) and 0.073 QALYs compared with the placebo, at an additional cost of US$112,294, primarily driven by medication expenses. The ICER for fruquintinib versus placebo was calculated at US$1,037,855 per LY and US$1,546,619 per QALY gained, exceeding the predefined cost-effectiveness threshold. The cost-effectiveness results were robust across all sensitivity and scenario analyses. Despite the survival benefit, fruquintinib was not cost-effective compared with the placebo in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer in the US setting, on the basis of the conventional willingness-to-pay threshold. Our findings may provide a basis for informing the pricing and reimbursement decisions regarding fruquintinib.

Racial discrimination in helping situations depends on the cost of help: A large field experiment in the streets of Paris.

Decades of field experiments show that White Americans are more likely to discriminate against Black Americans when the situation provides a nonracist rationalization for withholding help from a Black target - for instance, when the cost of helping looks unreasonable. However, work on racial discrimination in helping is scarcer outside of the US context. The present experiment extends this line of research to Europe and studies differences in helping asiatique (Asian), blanc (White) and noir (Black) men and women in France. In addition, it assesses to what extent racial discrimination in the probability to provide assistance is moderated by the perceived cost of help. The study rests on a sample of over 4500 independent observations collected through a factorial design that combines 12 testers (equally apportioned in race and gender groups), two social class conditions and four observation sites. Testers asked for directions to pedestrians in front of the traffic lights of a busy road, and pedestrians could provide different forms of help that varied in perceived cost. The analysis indicates that overall asiatique and noir testers receive help less often than their blanc counterparts. It also shows that racial discrimination is stronger when the perceived cost of helping is higher.

The Immigration‐Related Political Ideology Scale: Development, factor structure, and validity evidence

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to develop and validate the Immigration‐Related Political Ideology Scale (IRPIS), designed to measure diverse political perspectives on immigration among US voters. The IRPIS was developed following a series of focus groups and refined through a systematic item‐generation process involving expert panels. The scale was validated using a two‐step factor analysis with a nationally representative sample of 1292 US voters, divided into exploratory (n = 632) and confirmatory (n = 660) sub‐samples. The exploratory factor analysis identified seven distinct factors: conservative views, welcoming attitudes, world regions, flexibility, assimilationist expectations, multicultural expectations, and undocumented immigrant rights. Confirmatory factor analysis provided an acceptable fit (CFI = .901; RMSEA = .050), and the scale demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alphas ranging from .89 to .97). Inter‐factor correlations varied, with strong links observed among welcoming attitudes, flexibility, and multicultural expectations (r’s > .80), confirming a polarization between liberal and conservative stances on immigration. These findings suggest that the IRPIS is the first scale specifically designed to assess immigration‐related political orientations in a polarized US context. This tool has important implications for political strategy and policymaking, especially in the context of rising immigration rates and political polarization.Public Significance StatementThe present study validates the Immigration‐Related Political Ideology Scale (IRPIS) using a nationally representative sample of 1292 US voters. Immigration remains a highly polarizing issue, with deeply entrenched ideological differences influencing policy preferences and public discourse. Exploratory factor analysis identified seven distinct factors and confirmed a clear polarization between liberal and conservative views on immigration. The IRPIS represents a critical tool for research, political strategy, and policymaking.

Antecedents of Lead Director Selection

ABSTRACTResearch Question/IssueThis paper investigates the antecedents of lead director selection in the US context. Specifically, how do rational and social factors influence the likelihood of being selected as the lead director?Research Findings/InsightsResults for independent directors in S&P 1500 firms from 2000 to 2021 support the positive effect of both board capital (human capital and social capital) and social embeddedness with the CEO (university ties and demographic similarity) as factors in the selection of lead directors. Results also show that among late adopters, the effect of human capital (board experience) on selection is strengthened, and the effect of demographic similarity to the CEO on selection is weakened.Theoretical/Academic ImplicationsFirst, building on the director selection model, this paper further differentiates the rational and socialized perspectives by integrating the diffusion model. Specifically, among late adopters, rational factors play a larger role, and socialized factors play a smaller role in the lead director selection. Second, for the literature on the boards of directors, this paper provides unique individual‐level insights about directors' attributes and their interactions with firm‐level timing of practice adoption.Practitioner/Policy ImplicationsThe new governance practice of having a lead director, a leader of independent directors, has emerged and spread in the United States since 2000. As attention to the lead director governance practice increases, this paper focuses on the complexity of its adoption. Specifically, both rational (board capital) and socialized (social embeddedness with the CEO) factors can play a role in the lead director selection. Related stakeholder groups such as directors, investors, and policymakers should be aware of the potential symbolic adoption of this new governance practice.

Pope Francis as an influential leader? How papal statements affect public attitudes toward anti-poverty measures

Abstract Pope Francis has been very active in the public debate on several key social and political issues, gaining a role that foregoes the sphere of religiosity and morality. Overall, he has been perceived by the media and the general public as a leftist figure and even a modernizer. Nonetheless, little is known about the influence of Pope Francis' positions on public opinion, especially beyond the climate change issue and outside the US context. In this regard, this paper contributes to the analysis of the Francis effect on public support for poverty alleviation measures. By employing a survey experiment carried out in Italy, we therefore tested whether the papal endorsement of an anti-poverty measure during the COVID-19 pandemic affected people's support for it. The results highlighted a generalized Francis effect among the Italian public. In addition, trust in the Pope and leftist political orientation substantially enhanced this effect, while the same only partially applies to individual religiosity.

Responsible Practices for Crowdsourced Transcription and Accessibility for Web‐based Library, Archive, and Museum Content

ABSTRACTHundreds of Libraries, Archives, and Museums (LAMs) around the world run crowdsourced transcription projects in order to engage users with their collections. Some LAMs explicitly use crowdsourcing projects to make non‐machine‐readable images of documents, such as manuscripts, discoverable to people who are blind or have low vision. We present findings from Crowdsourced Data: Accuracy, Accessibility, Authority (CDAAA), a 3‐year Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant project that investigates whether and how LAMs integrate crowdsourced transcriptions into their discovery systems, and whether these efforts result in accessible web‐content for blind people and those with low vision who use assistive technology to navigate the web. We share research findings as well as practical suggestions for those in charge of crowdsourcing projects, the resulting transcription data, or similar web‐based textual content such as scholarly editions. These research and practice‐oriented findings are relevant to any national or local context where inaccessible images are transcribed, and are especially timely in the US context given recent Federal rule‐making to ensure that all web and app‐based content provided by US State and local governments is accessible, including tools, resources, and content created in‐house, through contracts or by license (2024).

Imposter phenomenon & belonging in master of public administration students in the US context

ABSTRACT Imposter Phenomenon (IP) is feelings of inadequacy and inauthenticity in settings where achievement is emphasized and valued. This exploratory study employs a survey to investigate the prevalence and underlying factors of IP among Master of Public Administration (MPA) students at seven US universities with varying institutional characteristics. The results show that over 1 in 10 MPA students report experiencing IP and feeling excluded by their peers and faculty. Our findings show that feelings of belongingness are negatively associated with experiences of IP. These findings contribute to the growing scholarship that emphasizes the role of oppressive systems in feelings of belonging and inadequacy. This article offers insight to better support MPA students in navigating their studies in the context of oppressive social systems. By understanding IP’s dynamics and the role of belonging in the context of PA education, this study hopes to foster a more inclusive academic environment.

Large Language Models Outperform Expert Coders and Supervised Classifiers at Annotating Political Social Media Messages

Instruction-tuned Large Language Models (LLMs) have recently emerged as a powerful new tool for text analysis. As these models are capable of zero-shot annotation based on instructions written in natural language, they obviate the need of large sets of training data—and thus bring potential paradigm-shifting implications for using text as data. While the models show substantial promise, their relative performance compared to human coders and supervised models remains poorly understood and subject to significant academic debate. This paper assesses the strengths and weaknesses of popular fine-tuned AI models compared to both conventional supervised classifiers and manual annotation by experts and crowd workers. The task used is to identify the political affiliation of politicians based on a single X/Twitter message, focusing on data from 11 different countries. The paper finds that GPT-4 achieves higher accuracy than both supervised models and human coders across all languages and country contexts. In the US context, it achieves an accuracy of 0.934 and an inter-coder reliability of 0.982. Examining the cases where the models fail, the paper finds that the LLM—unlike the supervised models—correctly annotates messages that require interpretation of implicit or unspoken references, or reasoning on the basis of contextual knowledge—capacities that have traditionally been understood to be distinctly human. The paper thus contributes to our understanding of the revolutionary implications of LLMs for text analysis within the social sciences.

Judgments toward displays of national (dis)loyalty in members of nations other than one’s own: Universalistic and parochial perspectives

National loyalty is viewed as a moral value and a crucial manifestation of national identification. Yet few studies have investigated how people judge (dis)loyalty among members of other (i.e., outgroup) nations. Investigating such judgments helps tease apart two ways of viewing loyalty—through a parochial or universalistic lens. We investigate symbolic expressions of (dis)loyalty within the context of US–China tensions (Study 1, N = 603 and N = 111), and concrete acts of (dis)loyalty within the context of Israel–Iran tensions (Study 2, N = 300; Study 3, N = 217). We expose differential judgments toward members of one’s own nation versus other nations, reflecting a parochial view of loyalty, which is strengthened by conservation values. At the same time, we show that loyalty is valued even in members of adversary nations, expressing a universalistic view of loyalty, especially when the interests of the ingroup are not involved.

The Toll of Exclusion on Immigrants’ Health across the Life Course: Research Advances and Future Directions

Health is an integral feature of immigration, providing not only insight into population health but also a critical lens into immigrant integration and the power structure in receiving countries. The goal of this article is to chart the trajectory of scholarship on immigrants’ health, focusing on the formative shift away from dominant individualistic perspectives focused on cultural and behavioral explanations toward a profoundly structural understanding of immigrants’ health. Focusing primarily on the US context, we synthesize theoretical and empirical advances in structural perspectives of immigrants’ health. We anchor these advances in the concept of exclusion, detailing how it undergirds structuralist perspectives of immigrants’ health. We review common ways in which exclusion has been measured in the empirical literature on immigrants’ health and highlight recent evidence linking exposure to exclusion to immigrants’ health outcomes across the life course. We conclude by discussing key directions and challenges for future research.

Charting the success of neuronavigation in brain tumor surgery: from inception to adoption and evolution.

Neuronavigation, explored as an intra-operative adjunct for brain tumor surgery three decades ago, has become globally utilized with a promising upward trajectory. This study aims to chart its success from idea to adoption and evolution within the US and globally. A three-pronged methodology included a systematic literature search, impact analysis using NIH relative citation ratio (RCR) and Altmetric scores, and assessment of patent holdings. Data was dichotomized for US and international contexts. The first neuronavigation publication stemmed from Finland in 1993, marking its inception. Over three decades, the cumulative number of 323 studies, along with the significantly increasing publication trend (r = 0.74, p < 0.05) and distribution across 34 countries, underscored its progressive and global adoption. Neuronavigation, mostly optical systems (58%), was utilized in over 19,000 cases, predominantly for brain tumor surgery (84%). Literature impact showed a robust cumulative median RCR score surpassing that for NIH-funded studies (1.37 vs. 1.0), with US studies having a significantly higher median RCR than international (1.71 vs. 1.21, p < 0.05). Technological evolution was characterized by adjuncts, including micro/exo/endoscope (21%), MRI (17%), ultrasound (10%), and CT (7%). Patent analysis demonstrated academic and industrial representation with an interdisciplinary convergence of medical and computational sciences. Since its inception thirty years ago, neuronavigation has been adopted worldwide, and it has evolved with adjunct technology integration to enhance its meaningful use. The current neuronavigation innovation pipeline is progressing, with academic and industry partnering to advance its further application in treating brain tumor patients.

The paradoxes of U.S. graduate assistantships in education: navigating competing tensions and the impact of stress on graduate wellbeing

Purpose Graduate students employed in graduate teaching and research assistantship positions have a unique experience of the institution because of their status as student-employees. Graduate assistants (GAs) face specific challenges around their well-being as they navigate various relationships and environments throughout their educational trajectory. The purpose of this study is to examine the specific workplace challenges GAs experience and their overall effect on GA wellbeing. Design/methodology/approach This research study examines graduate assistant responses from 12 US research universities to the Faculty Survey of student Engagement for Graduate student Instructors survey. This study’s analysis examined the open-ended responses (n = 493) at the end of the survey that asked participants for additional comments regarding their departmental and/or institutional experiences. Three waves of coding were implemented by the authors to identify common themes and areas of concern on GA working conditions. Findings The findings led to the creation of a concept map on GA working conditions that include three main components: contextual factors, stress and well-being and competing tensions. Within each component are subthemes related to social identity, funding, campus climate, time and priority concerns and assistantship structure and support. The map demonstrates the enmeshed connection across areas. Practical implications Findings suggest institutional investments through programming, system-level changes and interpersonal support to improve GA working conditions and their well-being. Originality/value Research on GA experiences with working conditions and well-being in a US context is limited. This study is valuable because many graduate students who occupy graduate assistantships are asking for increased pay and benefits at their institution. Graduate assistantship labor organizing is occurring alongside institutions’ focus on improving health outcomes for graduate students.

Blame and obligation: The importance of libertarianism and political orientation in the public assessment of disinformation in the United States

AbstractDisinformation concerns have heightened the importance of regulating content and speech in digital communication environments. Perceived risks have led to widespread public support for stricter control measures, even at the expense of individual speech rights. To better understand these preferences in the US context, we investigate public attitudes regarding blame for and obligation to address digital disinformation by drawing on political ideology, libertarian values, trust in societal actors, and issue salience. A manual content analysis of open‐ended survey responses in combination with an issue salience experiment shows that political orientation and trust in actors primarily drive blame attribution, while libertarianism predominantly informs whose obligation it is to stop the spread. Additionally, enhancing the salience of specific aspects of the issue can influence people's assessments of blame and obligation. Our findings reveal a range of attributions, underlining the need for careful balance in regulatory interventions. Additionally, we expose a gap in previous literature by demonstrating libertarianism's unique role vis‐à‐vis political orientation in the context of regulating content and speech in digital communication environments.

‘Pragmatists’ and ‘Rebels’: Ambivalent Success Frames of Chinese International Secondary School Graduates in the United States

ABSTRACTUpper‐middle‐class Chinese families send children to the United States for high school to exit what some perceive as an ‘unhappy’ educational environment in China or in pursuit of a ‘better education’ in the United States. However, for some students, the American high school experience itself may be marked by ‘unhappiness’, endured in the pursuit of ‘success’. Based on ethnographic interviews with Chinese youth attending private American high schools, this study illustrates how narratives of unhappiness surrounding such transnational educational choices result in multiple success frames among students, categorized as ‘pragmatists’ and ‘rebels’. Those who downplay happiness or experience unhappiness in the US context tend to adopt the ‘pragmatic’ frame, while those emphasizing their exit from an ‘unhappy’ situation are more likely to align with the ‘rebel’ frame. Despite slight deviations from parental expectations, the relative economic security of these families enables Chinese youth to develop ambivalent success frames based on their familiarity with both US and Chinese contexts, questioning the dominance of a singular success narrative.

Book bans in political context: Evidence from US schools.

In the 2021-2022 school year, more books were banned in US school districts than in any previous year. Book banning and other forms of information censorship have serious implications for democratic processes, and censorship has become a central theme of partisan political rhetoric in the United States. However, there is little empirical work on the exact content, predictors of, and repercussions of this rise in book bans. Using a comprehensive dataset of 2,532 bans that occurred during the 2021-2022 school year from PEN America, combined with county-level administrative data, multiple book-level digital trace datasets, restricted-use book sales data, and a new crowd-sourced dataset of author demographic information, we find that (i) banned books are disproportionately written by people of color and feature characters of color, both fictional and historical, in children's books; (ii) right-leaning counties that have become less conservative over time are more likely to ban books than neighboring counties; and (iii) national and state levels of interest in books are largely unaffected after they are banned. Together, these results suggest that rather than serving primarily as a censorship tactic, book banning in this recent US context, targeted at low-interest children's books featuring diverse characters, is more similar to symbolic political action to galvanize shrinking voting blocs.