In the natural sciences, concept of "(natural) tipping points" has become a hot topic in climate change research. To better understand and evaluate possibilities for barriers to fundamental societal transformations necessary mitigation, we suggest social dynamics framework. We contrast this framework with previous accounts stability show that integrating these approaches under umbrella provides us more encompassing therefore realistic account theorizing empirically analyzing different...

Which patterns of democracy perform best? Although a decades-long research tradition has fairly robustly suggested that consensual democracies outperform their Westminster-style majoritarian counterparts, the scope previous studies been limited to 'normal times'. In this article, endogenous context COVID-19 pandemic is leveraged study whether alleged superiority consensualism also holds during crises. It hypothesised that, in addition consensus democracy, inclusive institutions – i.e....

Abstract Public support for ambitious climate policies and carbon prices that have direct costs voters may depend on policy sequencing. Policy sequencing theory suggests the strategic ordering of into sequences initially create benefits can subsequently increase higher prices. However, systematic quantitative evidence about effects public is lacking. We provide novel theoretical empirical insights mechanisms through which affects policies. generated these using geospatial data a...

The search for and implementation of effective climate change policies is one the crucial challenges policy-makers. One strand literature argues that domestic factors in particular institutional prerequisites or veto points strongly influence quality pace a country's policy innovation adaptation. Focusing on point – direct democracy how does adaptive capacity areas and, more precisely, what kind have best chances to be accepted citizen's decision-making? analyses demonstrate makes it...

Since the publication of OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), scholarly interest in analysing effectiveness and performance education policy has risen again. The present article follows this path presents first empirical evaluation influence national policies on educational inequality European Union member states. We examine whether availability preschool education, an all-day school tradition, tracking during secondary a large private sector, average class size...

Abstract The basic income (BI) scheme is a fundamental reform of the welfare state that has recently gained widespread attention. Proposals for different variants BI schemes have emerged to account varying political and societal goals. This study investigates what citizens think about idea BI, extent citizens’ perceptions depend on exact design such context in which this policy embedded. Empirically, we rely conjoint experiments conducted Finland Switzerland – two countries introduction been...

Recent research and real-world processes suggest that effective climate change mitigation policies are not feasible without at least a certain degree of public support. Hence, we investigate the link between existing domestic energy individual policy instrument preferences in 21 European countries. We assume feedback perspective and, thus, start from idea current context influences what future possible preferred by citizens. High political trust strong attitudes expected to strengthen this...

Abstract Economists advocate carbon pricing as the primary tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, very few governments have adopted a tax high enough meet international emission targets. Political challenges may stem from number of areas, including political mobilization by policy opponents, consumers’ willingness pay and regressivity many schemes, which might be addressed through rebates. We use novel calculator provide residents in US Switzerland with personalized estimates...

Recently, social tipping dynamics relevant to sustainability have become the subject of a growing literature. Numerous publications seek bring concept (back) from natural system and make important contributions its conceptualization, definition, constant refinement. Yet, despite wide array, current literature has blind spot: it does neither adequately integrate, conceptualize, nor measure role political sphere thus underestimates importance for processes. This is starting point our...

This article evaluates the influence of different models democracy on individual volunteering in associations and organizations. More precisely, we investigate extent to which degree liberal participatory conceptions respectively shapes conditions under voluntary engagement thrives. We apply multilevel analysis—a method that corresponds well central hypothesis institutional approaches is most suitable for modeling relationship between democratic context volunteering. show both a...

This article evaluates the influence of welfare state policy on individual social volunteering. Unlike previous studies that have investigated relationship between and civic engagement, this contribution focuses those areas civil society are most directly related to public activities. Moreover, it is assumed does not uniformly affect engagement various groups. The analyses provide support for crowding out hypothesis: volunteering lower in extensive states than countries spend less policy....

This article investigates the main political institutions in sub-national democracies of Austria, Germany and Switzerland. It applies Lijphart’s approach to these German-speaking countries Western Europe expands it – following recent advances by direct democracy. The finding analysis is that, similar Lijphart, two dimensions democracy can be distinguished. While first considered as ‘consensual dimension’ democracy, second represents ‘rules game’. Moreover, contrast analyses at national...

Journal Article Education Policy and Educational Inequality—Evidence from the Swiss Laboratory Get access Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen Department of Politics Management, University Konstanz, PO Box D84, D-78457 Germany. Tel.: +49 7531/88 4274; Fax: 4159; Email: isabelle.stadelmann-steffen@uni-konstanz.de Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar European Sociological Review, Volume 28, Issue 3, June 2012, Pages 379–393, https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcq071...

Conjoint experiments have gained popularity in political science, accompanied by methodological discussions. We contribute to these investigating the impact of (randomly) offering an abstention option alongside usual forced choice dependent variable. explore usage employing data from a novel experiment with 4466 respondents. The findings reveal that notable proportion respondents abstain due non-acceptance and unwillingness or inability choose. Abstention binary also impacts subsequent...