Martin Ejnar Hansen

Reconsidering the Party Distances and Dimensionality of the Danish Folketing

Using the index of distances and the Optimal Classification method, the party positions and the dimensionality of the Danish Folketing is calculated from 1920 to 2005. The empirical results suggest that a one-dimensional model explains around 85 per cent of the legislative dimensionality in Denmark over time with only a modest presence of two or more dimensions in the 1970s. The rank order of party positions derived through the index of distance has higher face validity than the rankings derived through the Optimal Classification method. The Optimal Classification method produces a dimensionality measure which, when analysed, can be used to explain most of the events in Danish politics over the last 80 years. It is further argued that the shifts in the dimensionality can be explained by the number of parties in parliament and by historical incidents.Using the index of distances and the Optimal Classification method, the party positions and the dimensionality of the Danish Folketing is calculated from 1920 to 2005. The empirical results suggest that a one-dimensional model explains around 85 per cent of the legislative dimensionality in Denmark over time with only a modest presence of two or more dimensions in the 1970s. The rank order of party positions derived through the index of distance has higher face validity than the rankings derived through the Optimal Classification method. The Optimal Classification method produces a dimensionality measure which, when analysed, can be used to explain most of the events in Danish politics over the last 80 years. It is further argued that the shifts in the dimensionality can be explained by the number of parties in parliament and by historical incidents.

A Random Process? Committee Assignments in Dáil Éireann

Committees are the backbone of any modern legislature. Membership of committees is in most parliaments a gift within the reach of the party groups. Yet, both theoretically and empirically, little is known about committee allocation in parliaments. Using theories from the literature of the US Congress, a framework for analysis of the committee assignments in Dáil Éireann is presented. Empirically, the contribution of this paper is twofold. First, it analyzes what factors influence the allocation of Teachta Dálas (TDs) to Dáil committees. Second, it analyzes to what extent the participation of TDs in committee changes over time. The former analysis corroborates results found in other parliaments; few factors seem to have an influence. The latter analysis confirms that the participation of TDs changes over time and seems to be tied in with the changing scope and influence of the committee system. The analyzes rely on a data set consisting of all committee assignments in the Dáil since November 1982 until June 2010.

The Positions of Irish Parliamentary Parties 1937–2006

Abstract Ireland is often described as the odd country out in studies of west European politics. Its parties do not readily fit into the classical European definitions of party families. This paper estimates the positions of the parliamentary parties since 1937, based on a dataset consisting of all parliamentary votes from 1937 to 2006 using a Bayesian ideal point estimation framework. It is shown that party competition in the Irish parliament adheres to a government‐opposition dimension, and that it is possible to distinguish only two blocs of parties in each period, one consisting of the parties supporting the government and one comprising the remaining parties as the opposition. It is argued that the estimated positions do not reflect party policy positions but are instead voting cohesion of two distinct blocs of the parliamentary parties. The findings are validated by a comparison with various expert surveys of Irish party positions.

Extending Chiral Perturbation Theory with an Isosinglet Scalar

We augment the chiral Lagrangian by an isosinglet scalar and compute the one-loop radiative corrections to the pion mass and decay constant, as well as the scalar mass. The calculations are carried out for different patterns of chiral symmetry breaking of immediate relevance for phenomenology and lattice investigations. By construction our results encompass several interesting limits, ranging from the dilaton to the linear sigma model.

Portfolio Saliency and Ministerial Turnover. Dynamics in Scandinavian Post-War Cabinets

Why do certain ministers remain in their post for years while others have their time in office cut short? Drawing on the broader literature on portfolio allocation, this article argues that the saliency of individual portfolios shapes ministerial turnover. The main argument is that ministerial dismissals are less likely to occur the higher the saliency attributed to the ministerial portfolio since ministers appointed to important posts are more likely to have been through extensive screening before appointment. Importantly, it is also posited in the article that the effect of portfolio salience is conditioned by government approval ratings: when government ratings are on the decline, prime ministers are less likely to reshuffle or fire important ministers than when approval ratings are improving. To test these claims, Cox proportional hazards models are applied to a new dataset on ministerial turnover in Scandinavia during the postwar period. The results strongly support the proposition that portfolio saliency matters for ministerial survival, and that this effect is moderated by government popularity. (Less)

The behaviour of political parties and MPs in the parliaments of the Weimar Republic

Analysing the roll-call votes of the MPs of the Weimar Republic we find: (1) that party competition in the Weimar parliaments can be structured along two dimensions: an economic left–right and a pro-/anti-democratic. Remarkably, this is stable throughout the entire lifespan of the Republic and not just in the later years and despite the varying content of votes across the lifespan of the Republic, and (2) that nearly all parties were troubled by intra-party divisions, though, in particular, the national socialists and communists became homogeneous in the final years of the Republic.

The Contingent Nature of Local Party System Nationalisation: The Case of Austria 1985–2009

Abstract Previous studies have found that Austria has one of the most nationalized party systems in Western Europe. Using local election data from over 2300 municipalities between 1985 and 2009, we show that nationalisation of the party system varies considerably across regions. We demonstrate that variation in the organisational strength of regional party branches accounts for this finding, even when controlling for municipality size and the time dimension.

Scattering lengths in SU(2) gauge theory with two fundamental fermions

We investigate non perturbatively scattering properties of Goldstone Bosons in an SU(2) gauge theory with two Wilson fermions in the fundamental representation. Such a theory can be used to build extensions of the Standard Model that unifies Technicolor and pseudo Goldstone composite Higgs models. The leading order contribution to the scattering amplitude of Goldstone bosons at low energy is given by the scattering lengths. In the context of technicolor extensions of the Standard Model the scattering lengths are constrained by WW scattering measurements. We first describe our setup and in particular the expected chiral symmetry breaking pattern. We then discuss how to compute them on the lattice and give preliminary results using finite size methods.

The Parliamentary Behaviour of Minor Parties and Independents in Dáil Éireann

Abstract This paper deals with how minor parties and independents act once they have won election to the parliament. Using a dataset of all votes in Dáil Éireann from 1937 to 2007 the rate of agreement with Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour for each independent and minor party candidate is calculated. Based on theories of the behaviour of parties and independents a number of hypotheses are formulated and tested. The conclusions of the paper are that minor parties are very likely to vote against the government when they are not a part of it and that for independents the particular typology matters. When independents are needed by the government, not only those independents needed but the entire body of independents are significantly more in agreement with the government than when they are not needed.

Understanding Change in Committee Assignments between Elections: Evidence from the Danish Case

The study of committee assignment politics is very limited in parliamentary systems. Even more limited is the study of the change in committee assignments that occurs between elections. In this article, a first attempt to rectify this, both theoretically and empirically, is presented. What might have an impact on committee reassignments and what relationship one would expect to find are discussed. Using data of all Danish committee assignments 1994–2007, the proposed relationships are tested. The results show that: (1) it varies which parties experience the more change; and (2) it is often related to internal problems, but vote share, seniority and whether an MP is involved in a ministerial reshuffle or not also have a significant influence on change of committee assignments.