Search results for ""Author Pippa Norris""

Book SynopsisThe flaws in the American electoral process have become increasingly apparent in recent years. The contemporary tipping point in public awareness occurred during the 2000 election count, and concern deepened due to several major problems observed in the 2016 campaign, worsening party polarization, and corroding public trust in the legitimacy of the outcome.To gather evidence about the quality of elections around the world, in 2012 the Electoral Integrity Project (EIP) was established as an independent research project based at Harvard and Sydney universities. The results show that experts rated American elections as the worst among all Western democracies. Without reform, these problems risk damaging the legitimacy of American electionsfurther weakening public confidence in political parties, Congress, and the U.S. government, depressing voter turnout, and exacerbating the risks of mass protests.Why American Elections Are Flawed describes several major challenges observed durTable of ContentsIntroductionI: Challenges of Electoral Integrity during the 2016 US ElectionsII: Measuring Electoral IntegrityIII: Comparing Electoral Integrity within and across StatesIV: What Is to Be Done?Conclusions and Recommendations

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Book SynopsisA culture of trust is usually claimed to have many public benefits--by lubricating markets, managing organizations, legitimating governments, and facilitating collective action. Any signs of its decline are, and should be, a matter of serious concern. Yet, In Praise of Skepticism recognizes that trust has two faces. Confidence in anti-vax theories has weakened herd immunity. Faith in Q-Anon conspiracy theories triggered insurrection. Disasters flow from gullible beliefs in fake Covid-19 cures, Madoff pyramid schemes, Russian claims of Ukrainian Nazis, and the Big Lie denying President Biden''s legitimate election. Trustworthiness involves an informal social contract by which principals authorize agents to act on their behalf in the expectation that they will fulfill their responsibilities with competency, integrity, and impartiality, despite conditions of risk and uncertainty. Skeptical judgments reflect reasonably accurate and informed predictions about agents'' future actions based oTrade ReviewAll in all, an excellent contribution to scholarly research on the foundations of trust and a rich addition to the ever-growing body of knowledge on the importance of trust in our society, for which we can thank Pippa Norris. * Severin de Wit *Pippa Norris convincingly shows that our common understanding of trust needs to be challenged normatively by introducing cynicism and credulity, allowing a focus on a healthy dose of skepticism, through which risks are minimized and benefits are maximized * Severin de Wit, Journal of Trust Research *Pippa Norris offers a beautifully written, argued, and documented account of what we need to strengthen democracy. She emphasizes the combination of trustworthiness and healthy skepticism derived from considered judgment and critical deliberation. And she details the preconditions: an open society, a lack of strong ideological convictions, and education. In outlining the possible, Norris makes a reinvigorated democracy more probable. * Margaret Levi, Professor of Political Science, Stanford University *This is a landmark study in the discussion of trust as a major concept in political research. Norris differentiates the general concept by introducing cynicism and credulity, allowing a focus on prudence skepticism. Norris shows that there is no evidence for a simple claim of a steady erosion of trust. Rather, skeptical and informed judgments mostly support her trust-as-performance thesis. This book is fun to read and it addresses a wide audience. Political science as a profession will be theoretically enriched. Decision makers and the general public interested in evidence will find many empirical treasures. It is a must-read for all. * Hans-Dieter Klingemann, Professor Emeritus, WZB Berlin Social Science Center and Freie Universitaet Berlin *For too long, the scholarly mainstream treated political trust as the quintessential source of democratic legitimacy. Yet, a revisionist view using terms like 'critical' and 'assertive' citizens has challenged the mainstream, arguing that the complacency element in political trust actually undermines democracy. Pippa Norris' In Praise of Skepticism provides to date the firmest conceptual foundation and empirical confirmation of the revisionist camp in political culture research. * Christian Welzel, Political Culture Research Professor, Leuphana University of Lüneburg *Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements List of Tables and Figures I: Introduction 1. Two Faces of Trust 2. The General Theory of Skeptical Trust 3. Evidence II: What Causes Trust? 4. Comparing Trends in Trust Worldwide 5. Competency 6. Integrity and Impartiality III: Conclusions 7. In Praise of Skepticism Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe book illustrates that formal rules do matter, with the social cleavages and partisan identities of voters, and the diversity and behavior of elected representatives, shaped by the incentives generated by majoritarian, combined, and proportional electoral systems.Trade Review'This is a welcome contribution to the debate on how electoral systems shape political strategies. It should be read by all students of electoral systems, not only because it is well researched and well written, but also because it brings attention to the lesser known systems of preferential voting…'. Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics'… this is a book rich in its insights and detailed research findings'. The British Journal of Politics and International RelationsTable of ContentsPart I. Introduction: 1. Do rules matter?; 2. Classifying electoral systems; 3. Evaluating electoral systems; Part II. The Consequences for Voting Behavior: 4. Party systems; 5. Social cleavages; 6. Party loyalties; 7. Turnout; Part III. The Consequences for Political Representation: 8. Women; 9. Ethnic minorities; 10. Constituency service; Part IV. Conclusions: 11. The impact of electoral engineering.

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Book SynopsisThis is an account of the relationship between social and political change - how voting behaviour has been affected by the decline of the industrial working class and the rise of the new working class - and of how political activity and the mechanics of politics have altered.Trade Review"It is certain to be a serious rival to established texts in the field." EPOP Newsletter, January 1997 "Norris's book is an admirable survey of the scholarly literature on elections since 1945. It is crammed with valuable statistics and global comparisons, but it is not disfigured by the jargon which apparently lends most psephologists their sense of professional dignity. As such, like most of the volumes in this series, its style and content are ideal for undergraduate students and for the general reader." Mark Garnett "The book is based on massive research ... which enabels her to compare changes in Britain's electoral culture with a variety of countries." Talking PoliticsTable of ContentsList of Tables and Figures. Preface. Part I: The Nature of Electoral Change: . 1. Electoral Change 1945-1970. 2. Electoral Change 1970-1992. 3. The British Party System. 4. Explaining Electoral Change. Part II: Changes in the Electorate: . 5. Theories of Change in the Electorate. 6. The Partisan Identity of Voters. 7. The Social Identity of Voters. Part III: Changes in the Party System:. 8. Party Competition, Issues and Images. 9. Party Leadership and Representatives. 10. Party Campaign Organizations. Part IV: Changes in the Electoral Context: . 11. Changes in Political Communications. 12. The Effects of the Media. 13. The Electoral System and Reform. Further Reading. Index.

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Book SynopsisFocusing on 'democratic deficits', this book reflects on how far the perceived democratic performance of any state diverges from public expectations. The book provides fresh insights into major issues at the heart of the study of comparative politics, public opinion, political culture and political communications.Trade Review“This brilliantly-reasoned assessment of public opinions about the achievements and failures of democratic governance deserves high attention from the social science community. The wide-ranging book includes nuanced analyses of such crucial issues as people’s trust in their government and its institutions, their satisfaction with regime performance, and their understanding of democratic values. The detailed findings are remarkable and surprisingly encouraging. Contrary to prevailing beliefs, the wealth of data from fifty countries clearly shows that faith in the effectiveness of democratic governance remains robust, even though it wanes and waxes in response to the tides of political events.” —Doris Graber, University of Illinois at Chicago“This is a ‘must-read’ for all those who want to know more about the current state of democracy world-wide. In a penetrating empirical analysis Norris demonstrates that the normative account predicting a general decline in support of democratic values does not square with the empirical evidence. This original study of global political culture powerfully contributes to a better understanding of the current state of liberal democracy.” —Hans-Dieter Klingemann, Social Science Research Center Berlin“This book is a new landmark in the continuing debate on the alleged decline of citizens’ trust in their democratic institutions across the Western world. Where previous studies seemed to support the conventional wisdom that people in advanced industrial democracies have become disenchanted with their political institutions, a meticulous analysis of data from an unprecedented number of countries proves that there is no general decline of trust in democratic institutions. After Critical Citizens, Pippa Norris once again has planted her flag in the middle of the academic debate. It is going to stay there for a long time to come.” —Jacques Thomassen, University of Twente“This book is the first monograph offering worldwide comparison of political support for democracy since David Easton’s work 50 years ago. Pippa Norris offers a summation of theoretical, methodological, and empirical scholarly debate on the concept of ‘political support for democracy,’ and of ‘critical citizens’ in democratic regimes. This impressive comparative study covers the Third Wave of Democratisation and examines North America, South America, Western Europe, Northern Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, and Asia. Norris develops and tests a new theory of ‘critical citizens and the democratic deficit,’ which integrates citizens, media, and governments as core elements of support for political systems. She also expands the congruence theory, which explains the relationship between demand for and supply of democracy, by introducing information and media as third theoretical element. The important debate about the nature and significance of ‘political support for democracy’ and the role of ‘critical citizens,’ as well as the structure and future of the so-called ‘democratic deficit,’ culminates in Norris’s work. This book will become a classic in political science, political sociology, and mass communication research.” —Christian W. Haerpfer, University of AberdeenTable of ContentsPart I. Introduction: 1. Democratic hopes and fears; 2. The conceptual framework; 3. Evidence and methods; Part II. Symptoms: 4. Trends in the US and Western Europe; 5. Comparing political support around the world; 6. Trends in democratic deficits; Part III. Diagnosis: 7. Rising aspirations; 8. Democratic knowledge; 9. Negative news; 10. Failing performance; Part IV. Prognosis: 11. Consequences for citizenship, governance, and democratization; 12. Conclusions and implications.

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the nature of electoral change in Britain during the last half century. The period from 1945--70 was the classic era of two--party dominance at every level of British politics: at Westminster, county hall, and in the electorate.Trade Review"It is certain to be a serious rival to established texts in the field." EPOP Newsletter, January 1997 "Norris's book is an admirable survey of the scholarly literature on elections since 1945. It is crammed with valuable statistics and global comparisons, but it is not disfigured by the jargon which apparently lends most psephologists their sense of professional dignity. As such, like most of the volumes in this series, its style and content are ideal for undergraduate students and for the general reader." Mark Garnett "The book is based on massive research ... which enabels her to compare changes in Britain's electoral culture with a variety of countries." Talking PoliticsTable of ContentsList of Tables and Figures. Preface. Part I: The Nature of Electoral Change: . 1. Electoral Change 1945-1970. 2. Electoral Change 1970-1992. 3. The British Party System. 4. Explaining Electoral Change. Part II: Changes in the Electorate: . 5. Theories of Change in the Electorate. 6. The Partisan Identity of Voters. 7. The Social Identity of Voters. Part III: Changes in the Party System:. 8. Party Competition, Issues and Images. 9. Party Leadership and Representatives. 10. Party Campaign Organizations. Part IV: Changes in the Electoral Context: . 11. Changes in Political Communications. 12. The Effects of the Media. 13. The Electoral System and Reform. Further Reading. Index.

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Book SynopsisAuthoritarian populist parties have advanced in many countries, and entered government in states as diverse as Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland. Even small parties can still shift the policy agenda, as demonstrated by UKIP''s role in catalyzing Brexit. Drawing on new evidence, this book advances a general theory why the silent revolution in values triggered a backlash fuelling support for authoritarian-populist parties and leaders in the US and Europe. The conclusion highlights the dangers of this development and what could be done to mitigate the risks to liberal democracy.Trade Review'Cultural Backlash is a foundational piece in the burgeoning field of studies related to the revival of authoritarianism and the rise of populism in the twenty-first century. But it is also much more than that. It is not only a book that explains the reasons why some parties and candidates have been more successful than others, or about the potential causes and effects of the erosion to liberal democracy. It is also an unprecedented roadmap to understand the new political and social fault lines that will likely mark political representation patterns for years to come. The book is a landmark in the study of social psychology and voter choice.' Kenneth Bunker, Democratization'No book this year has done more to explain our current political plight than Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart's comprehensive study …' Colin Kidd, New Statesman'There is a lot to appreciate and admire about Norris and Inglehart's latest book. Those intrigued by and concerned about today's political currents in democratic societies can learn a great deal from Cultural Backlash. I recommend picking it up for the narrative, reading on for the depth and nuance, and reflecting on the ideas for inspiration.' Jennifer Fitzgerald, Political Psychology'Cultural Backlash is a leader in a crowded field of research on the origins and implications of populist politics in western societies. Among many contributions, the book especially adds value for scholars of international affairs …' Jordan Becker, International Affairs'… an argument convincingly buttressed with an impressive amount of data from several different sources.' Gianfranco Pasquino, The Political QuarterlyTable of ContentsPart I. Introduction: 1. Understanding populism; 2. The cultural backlash theory; 3. Varieties of populism; Part II. Authoritarian-Populist Values: 4. The backlash against the silent revolution; 5. Economic grievances; 6. Immigration; Part III. From Values to Votes: 7. Classifying parties; 8. Who votes for authoritarian-populists?; 9. Party fortunes and electoral rules; 10. Trump's America; 11. Brexit; Part IV. Conclusions: 12. Eroding the civic culture?; 13. The populist challenge; Endnotes; Appendices; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book develops a theory of existential security. It demonstrates that the publics of virtually all advanced industrial societies have been moving toward more secular orientations during the past half century, but also that the world as a whole now has more people with traditional religious views than ever before. This second edition expands the theory and provides new and updated evidence from a broad perspective and in a wide range of countries. This confirms that religiosity persists most strongly among vulnerable populations, especially in poorer nations and in failed states. Conversely, a systematic erosion of religious practices, values and beliefs has occurred among the more prosperous strata in rich nations.Trade Review"This second edition is an outstanding contribution to the new thought among social scientists about the process of secularization... Norris and Inglehart present convincing arguments soundly anchored in extensive systematic research from around the globe...[They] provide a brilliant, well-written, and thoroughly convincing second edition of what will surely become a classic in the field. This is an indispensable work for any college-level class concerned with the role of religion in the contemporary world. Summing Up: Essential." -J.J. Preston, Sonoma State University, CHOICE MagazineTable of ContentsPart I. Understanding Secularization: 1. The secularization debate; 2. Measuring secularization; 3. Comparing secularization worldwide; Part II. Case Studies of Religion and Politics: 4. The puzzle of secularization in the United States and Western Europe; 5. A religious revival in post-communist Europe?; 6. Religion and politics in the Muslim world; Part III. The Consequences of Secularization: 7. Religion, the Protestant ethic, and moral values; 8. Religious organizations and social capital; 9. Religious parties and electoral behavior; Part IV. Conclusions: 10. Secularization and its consequences; 11. Re-examining the theory of existential security; 12. Re-examining evidence for the security thesis.

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