Possible interference sources for our aerosol lidar setup with transient recorders have been assessed. This was done by two methods: a spectrum analysis of the lidar signals in order to detect ...radio-frequency interference and measurements of the electromagnetic interference caused by the laser power supply. We found disturbances in the analog channels of the transient recorders, presumably caused by aging effects of our older recorders. An easy method on how the signal-to-noise ratio can be improved retrospectively is presented. We also show that the usage of two-way radio at our location leads to a noticeable radio-frequency interference in the lidar profiles. Further, we present measurements of the electromagnetic interference caused by the laser power supply, which may lead to disturbances in the lidar profiles if the transient recorders are placed next to it.
Shows that the politics of democratic societies is moving towards a presidentialized working mode, even in the absence of formal institutional changes. These developments can be explained by a ...combination of long-term structural changes in modern politics and societies’ contingent factors that fluctuate over time. While these contingent, short-term factors relate to the personalities of office holders, the overall political agenda, and the majority situation in parliament, there are several structural factors that are relatively uniform across modern nations. First, the internationalization of modern politics (which is particularly pronounced within the European Union) has led to an ‘executive bias’ of the political process that has strengthened the role of political top elites vis-à-vis their parliamentary groups and/or their parties. Their predominance has been amplified further by the vastly expanded steering capacities of state machineries, which have severely reduced the scope of effective parliamentary control. At the same time, the declining stability of political alignments has increased the proportion of citizens whose voting decisions are not constrained by long-standing party loyalties. In conjunction with the mediatization of politics, this has increased the capacity of political leaders to bypass their party machines and to appeal directly to voters.As a result, three interrelated processes have led to a political process increasingly moulded by the inherent logic of presidentialism: increasing leadership power and autonomy within the political executive; increasing leadership power and autonomy within political parties; and increasingly leadership-centered electoral processes.The book presents evidence for this process of presidentialization for 14 modern democracies (including the USA and Canada). While there are substantial cross-national differences, the overall thesis holds: modern democracies are increasingly following a presidential logic of governance through which leadership is becoming more central and more powerful, but also increasingly dependent on successful immediate appeal to the mass public. Implications for democratic theory are considered.
Germany Poguntke, T; Kette, J
European journal of political research,
12/2013, Letnik:
52, Številka:
Supp.
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Plagiarised PhDs continued to be a major issue in German politics in 2012. Annette Schavan. Minister for Science and Education, who had publicly criticised her cabinet colleague Karl Theodor zu ...Guttenberg in the previous year (Poguntke 2012), was confronted with similar allegations and her alma mater, the University of Düsseldorf, initiated an investigation which eventually led to her resignation from cabinet in spring 2013. Foreign observers would conclude that this indicates that German politics was probably without major issues in 2012 even though the resignation of the Federal President Christian Wulff following a prolonged debate over his personal conduct clearly counts as a major event. Arguably, the turning point in this affair was his attempt to prevent Germany's leading tabloid (Bild) from publishing damaging details by leaving a threatening message on the voicemail of the newspaper's editor. When it became known that a criminal investigation over corruption charges had been launched, Wulff resigned on 17 February. This was widely seen as a major blow for Chancellor Merkel who had `lost' the second Federal President through an early resignation. Philipp Rösler, the leader of her junior coalition partner, the FDP, shrewdly exploited this and imposed the widely popular Joachim Gauck on the Christian coalition parties as their nomination for the vacant presidency. Gauck, an East German Protestant priest and former director of the Stasi Archives (where the documents of the former East Germany (GDR) secret services are made available) had been the opposition candidate in the previous presidential election of 2010 and at that time had forced Christian Wulff to a third ballot of the Bundesversammlung, the Federal Convention that elects the President (Poguntke 2011). Reprinted by permission of Blackwell Publishers
In Keith Dowding's recent 'Parliamentary Affairs' article (Dowding, 2013) he pours scorn on those who maintain that it is useful to speak of the 'presidentialisation' of British politics. Our edited ...volume 'The Presidentialization of Politics' (Poguntke and Webb, 2005) is one of those in the firing line.We should emphasise that there is a good deal in Dowding's article with which we do not take issue, not least because he either largely concurs with us about the developments affecting the British prime minister or because his attacks focus on versions of the presidentialisation argument to which we do not subscribe. But we offer here a brief rejoinder to the remaining issues which are relevant to our model.
The comparative analysis of the record of Green parties in national government shows that they have had only limited impact on national policy. The march through the institutions has changed the ...marchers more than the institutions. Green parties are ill placed to wield much blackmailing power in coalition politics. Much depends on their skill in exploiting their rather limited room for maneuver in order to implement reform & attract sufficient electoral support. The record is, however, very mixed. The example of the Finnish Greens shows that Green parties can thrive in government, while the German Greens have suffered badly at the polls. 2 Appendixes, 26 References. Adapted from the source document.
Argues that, when discussing antiparty sentiment, more attention should be given to the interaction between elite theorizing about, & mass orientations toward, political parties, based on ...longitudinal survey data from 13 Western democracies using attitudinal & behavioral indicators. Findings indicate that signs of antiparty sentiment have become more visible during the 1980s, but sweeping generalizations are unfounded. 2 Tables, 7 Figures, 1 Appendix, 62 References. Adapted from the source document.
An analysis of party documents informs a discussion of problems faced by the German Green Party since reunification. The negotiations through which the West German Greens joined with the East German ...citizens' movements collectively known as Bundnis 90 are described, & it is noted that, in contrast to parties that simply absorbed their East German counterparts, the Greens attempted to establish a true partnership. The goal of intraparty East-West equality, however, has been jeopardized by a member recruitment effort successful only in the West. In the East, the party has struggled because of voter apathy, competition, a strident approach to communist collaboration, internal bickering, organizational problems, & poor local-federal communication. It is concluded that the citizens' movements -- which were spontaneous & united only by the goal of ending the East German regime -- have been unable to transfer their political experience to the organized party politics of the Federal Republic of Germany, or to overcome the electorate's preoccupation with personal & economic difficulties. 3 Tables, 47 References. E. Blackwell
An introduction to a special journal issue on the politics of antiparty sentiments (APS) in Western Europe & the US (see related abstracts) suggests that, because it has been difficult to establish ...an empirical relationship between APS & political behavior, studies might consider the relationship between elite criticisms of parties in democratic systems & mass attitudes toward political parties. Empirical research should examine linkages of APS to the effects of social chages associated with modernization, the changing relationship between parties & society, growth of the welfare state, & growing particularization in Western societies. Other work should identify nation-specific factors related to APS. 1 Table, 11 References. D. M. Smith
