ABSTRACT
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are seasonal breeders, annually migrating from high‐latitude summer feeding grounds to low‐latitude winter breeding grounds. The social matrix on the ...winter grounds is a loose network of interacting individuals and groups and notably includes lone males that produce long bouts of complex song that collectively yield an asynchronous chorus. Occasionally, a male will sing while accompanying other whales. Despite a wealth of knowledge about the social matrix, the full characterization of the mating system remains unresolved, without any firm consensus, as does the function of song within that system. Here, I consider and critically analyse three proposed functions of song that have received the most attention in the literature: female attraction to individual singers, determining or facilitating male–male interactions, and attracting females to a male aggregation within the context of a lekking system. Female attraction suggests that humpback song is an advertisement and invitation to females, but field observations and song playback studies reveal that female visits to individual singers are virtually absent. Other observations suggest instead that females might convey their presence to singers (or to other males) through the percussive sounds of flipper or tail slapping or possibly through vocalizations. There is some evidence for male–male interactions, both dominance and affiliative: visits to singers are almost always other lone males not singing at that time. The joiner may be seeking a coalition with the singer to engage cooperatively in attempts to obtain females, or may be seeking to disrupt the song or to affirm his dominance. Some observations support one or the other intent. However, other observations, in part based on the brevity of most pairings, suggest that the joiner is prospecting, seeking to determine whether the singer is accompanying a female, and if not soon departs. In the lekking hypothesis, the aggregation of vocalizing males on a winter ground and the visits there by non‐maternal females apparently for mating meet the fundamental definition of a lekking system and its role though communal display in attracting females to the aggregation, although not to an individual singer. Communal singing is viewed as a form of by‐product mutualism in which individuals benefit one another as incidental consequences of their own selfish actions. Possibly, communal singing may also act to stimulate female receptivity. Thus, there are both limitations and merit in all three proposals. Full consideration of song as serving multiple functions is therefore necessary to understand its role in the mating system and the forces acting on the evolution of song. I suggest that song may be the prime vector recruiting colonists to new winter grounds pioneered by vagrant males as population pressures increase or as former winter grounds become unavailable or undesirable, with such instances documented relatively recently. Speculatively, song may have evolved historically as an aggregating call during the dynamic ocean conditions and resulting habitat uncertainties in the late Miocene–early Pliocene epochs when Megaptera began to proliferate. Early song may have been comprised of simpler precursor sounds that through natural selection and ritualization evolved into complex song.
Although parties' preferences for office and policy goals have been featured by many rational choice models of party behavior and a majority of coalition theories, the literature still lacks a ...measure and a comprehensive analysis of how parties' preferences vary among parties and across countries. This study aims to fill this gap by presenting the results of an original expert survey protocol, which finds that parties pursue both goals simultaneously as office is sought both as and an end and as a means to affect policy, and that the degree to which they prefer policy versus office objectives varies across parties and countries. I provide an application of the preference ratings for policy versus office in the context of government formation, by using the ratings to solve for and predict the equilibrium coalition that should have formed in Spain after the 2015 elections. The government predicted by the model matches the government that formed, providing evidence of the ability of the preference ratings to generate reliable predictions of the composition of government coalitions.
When do domestic events affect international relations? Our answer to this puzzle emphasizes patterns of interaction in domestic networks. Leaders depend on coalitions of subnational ...actors—civilians, parties, militaries, and so on—for political survival. Structural imbalance emerges when the higher-order relations of subnational actors contradict their revealed preferences, such as when actors cooperate with enemies of friends or conflict with friends of friends. Imbalance generates uncertainty about the preferences and future behaviors of subnational actors, which in turn diminishes the government’s confidence in domestic coalitions. Imbalance thus increases the probability that leaders will turn to survival strategies, such as manipulating foreign relations in order to show competence. At the same time, foreign governments respond to imbalance by implementing preventive measures or intervening for strategic gain. We develop and test these arguments from a networks-of-networks approach. We introduce generalizable metrics of structural imbalance and foreign-relations shifts. Extensive empirical analysis shows that the greater the imbalance generated by domestic events, the greater the probability that those events will affect foreign relations.
We investigate whether global cooperation on emissions abatement can be improved if asymmetric countries agree to sign one out of several environmental agreements. The analysis is based on a ...two-stage game theoretical model. Conditions for stable coalitions and the resulting global emissions are determined. We allow for multiple coalitions with all countries being different, and analyze the effects in the cases of increasing marginal damages from emissions and of decreasing marginal benefits of emissions. We find that in the case of decreasing marginal benefits and constant marginal damages, admitting multiple coalitions increases the number of cooperating countries and reduces emissions (compared to the standard case with a single coalition). For increasing marginal damages and constant marginal benefits, however, multiple stable coalitions cannot coexist. If both damages and benefits are nonlinear, admitting multiple coalitions can decrease emissions. The paper thus contributes to the emerging discussion on the scope and limits of climate clubs.
Coalitionary recruitment offers a window into animal social cognition. However, naturally observed coalitionary conflicts are challenging to analyse because the researcher has no control over the ...context in which they occurred, and observed behaviour patterns are typically consistent with multiple explanations. In this paper we analyse observational data of coalitionary solicitations during conflicts in wild capuchin monkeys, Cebus capucinus. We build upon previous work that focuses on identifying the cues that animals use to solicit allies in agonistic encounters. In contrast to previous studies, we applied a statistical technique that allows us to simultaneously compare different hypotheses regarding which cues animals use and how these cues interact. Our analysis shows that capuchin monkeys use information about both relationship quality and dominance when recruiting allies during conflicts. Monkeys primarily use rank when recruiting an ally, but will also use relationship quality, particularly when the potential ally has low rank. This study provides evidence that nonhuman primates are able to classify other group members using multiple criteria simultaneously. In addition, this paper presents a statistical technique that animal researchers can use to infer decision rules from observational data.
•We evaluated factors underlying coalitionary solicitations in capuchin monkeys.•The relative value of rank and relationship quality were analysed in a joint model.•Capuchin monkeys use both rank and relationship quality when recruiting allies.•Capuchin monkeys weigh rank more heavily than relationship quality.
By drawing, among others, on the ideas of the Bakhtin Circle and Judith Butler, this paper explores spatial struggles over the right to free speech at Hyde Park, London, 1861–1962. From the 1860s to ...the early 20th century, the state gradually constructed a “monologic” discourse about an ideal‐typical “indecent” speaker who would “trespass” on Hyde Park through their “excitable speech” against a legally sanctioned right to give a “public address” in the park. This discourse gave the state some room to evict those it claimed to be transgressing “public address”. However, different “heteroglossic coalitions” of regulars ensured that Hyde Park remained not only a “political assembly” to discuss political issues, but also a “social assembly” to exercise free speech on a range of social topics. Indeed, by the 1950s, these coalitions used a nearby road scheme to successfully argue it was the state that was potentially trespassing, or “encroaching”, on free speech at Hyde Park.
Partnerships are emerging as critically important vehicles for addressing health in local communities. Coalitions involving local health departments can be viewed as the embodiment of a local public ...health system. Although it is known that these networks are heavily involved in assessment and community planning activities, limited studies have evaluated whether health coalitions are functioning at an optimal capacity.
This study assesses the extent to which health coalitions met or exceeded expectations for building functional capacity within their respective networks.
An evaluative framework was developed focusing on 8 functional characteristics of coalitions previously identified by Erwin and Mills. Twenty-nine indicators were identified that served as "proxy" measures of functional capacity within health coalitions.
Ninety-three County Health Councils (CoHCs) in Tennessee.
Diverse member representation; formal rules, roles, and procedures; open, frequent interpersonal communication; task-focused climate; council leadership; resources; active member participation; and external linkages were assessed to determine the level of functionality of CoHCs. Scores across all CoHCs were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency distributions, measures of central tendency, and measures of variability. Data were analyzed using SAS 9.3.
Of 68 CoHCs (73% response rate), the total mean score for the level of functional characteristics was 30.5 (median = 30.5; SD = 6.3; range, 18-44). Of the 8 functional characteristics, CoHCs met or exceeded all indicators associated with council leadership, tasked-focused climate, and external linkages. Lowest scores were for having a written communications plan, written priorities or goals, and opportunities for training.
This study advances the research on health coalitions by establishing a process for quantifying the functionality of health coalitions. Future studies will be conducted to examine the association between health coalition functional capacity, local health departments' community health assessment and planning efforts, and changes in community health status.
When do coalitions do what they promise? Previous research has focused on the extent to which parties implement electoral pledges. In this article, we examine how coalition cabinets fulfil ...post-electoral legislative agendas. Many coalitions announce programmes identifying bills that they plan to introduce to parliament in the months ahead. Even though coalition parties publicly signal commitment to all such proposals, there is variation in the extent to which cabinets meet their own deadlines. We argue that pledge fulfilment is driven by differences in the divisiveness and salience of legislative initiatives. We test our theoretical expectations based on an empirical analysis of over 500 legislative pledges made by the Polish cabinet between 2008 and 2011. Our results confirm that pledges dealing with less divisive and more salient issues are likely to be fulfilled with less delay than those dealing with more divisive and less important issues.
Se presenta un análisis de procesos socio-comunitarios rurales en las Provincias de Buenos Aires y Chaco, Argentina, relevados desde 1991 y 2015 -respectivamente-, con un enfoque etnográfico ...colaborativo. La metodología de análisis se construyó a partir de la combinación de la etnografía y la sociolingüística, así como al relacionar dichos enfoques con otras disciplinas (psicología social, sociología y filosofía política) se construyó un marco conceptual desde el que se interpretan los dos procesos mencionados. Los principales resultados refieren que, a través de este marco de trabajo, es posible identificar e interpretar acciones que configuran procesos de subjetivación política que de otra manera pasarían desapercibidas. Esas acciones refieren a la singularización, la creación de vincularidad y la disputa contra el arrasamiento.
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