The Third Vote Experiment: Enhancing Policy Representation of a Student Parliament

Since voters are often swayed more by the personal image of politicians than by party manifestos, they may cast votes that are in opposition to their policy preferences. This results in the election of representatives who do not correspond exactly to the voters’ own views. An alternative voting procedure to avoid this type of election failure is prompted by the approach implemented in internet voting advice applications, like the German Wahl-O-Mat, which asks the user a number of questions on topical policy issues; the computer program, drawing on all the parties’ answers, finds for the user the best-matching party, the second-best-matching party, etc. Under the proposed alternative election method, the voters cast no direct votes. Rather, they are asked about their preferences on the policy issues as declared in the party manifestos (Introduce nationwide minimum wage? Yes/No; Introduce a speed limit on the motorways? Yes/No, etc.), which reveals the balance of public opinion on each issue. These embedded referenda measure the degree to which the parties’ policies match the preferences of the electorate. The parliament seats are then distributed among the parties in proportion to their indices of popularity (the average percentage of the population represented on all the issues) and universality (frequency in representing a majority). This paper reports on an experimental application of this method during the election of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Student Parliament on July 4–8, 2016. The experiment shows that the alternative election method can increase the representativeness of the Student Parliament. We also discuss some traits and bottlenecks of the method that should be taken into account when preparing elections.     

Policy Representation of a Parliament: The Case of the German Bundestag 2013 Elections

Since voters are often swayed more by the charisma, personal image and communication skills of the individual candidates standing for election than by the parties’ political manifestos, they may cast votes that are actually in opposition to their policy preferences. Such a type of behavior, known as ‘irrational voting’, results in the election of representatives who do not correspond exactly to the voters’ own views. To illustrate this, we consider the 28 German parties that took part in the 2013 Bundestag (federal) election and compare their positions on 36 topical issues with the results of public opinion polls. Then we construct the party and coalition indices of popularity (the average percentage of the population represented) and universality (frequency in representing a majority). In particular, we find that the 2013 election winner, the conservative union CDU/CSU with their 41.5 % of the votes, was the least representative among the 28 parties considered. The representativeness of the Bundestag is about 50 %, as if the correspondence with the electorate’s preference on every policy issue had been decided by tossing a coin, meaning that the Bundestag’s policy profile is independent of that of the electorate. The next paper, ‘An election method to improve policy representation of a parliament’ (Tangian 2016), suggests a possible way to surmount the problems revealed by our analysis. An alternative election procedure is proposed and hypothetically applied to the 2013 Bundestag, producing a considerable gain in its representativeness.     

NOE估算方法中国民账户分析法的改进思路

未被观测经济(NOE)在国民经济活动成果总量中所占的比重越来越高,对国民经济和社会发展的影响越来越大,因此对它的估算是非常必要的,它对宏观经济决策将有重要影响。本文提出了对国民账户分析法作一定的改进的思路,以求提高其估算的准确性。     

完善政策促进区域经济协调发展

本文认为,促进区域经济协调发展是全面建设小康社会的战略重点,是保持国民经济持续快速健康发展的客观要求,也是实现科学发展、构建和谐社会的重要内容。文章提出,促进东部地区产业结构优化升级和梯度转移,发挥东部地区辐射带动作用是不同区域协调发展的根本出路;提高区域政策有效性和针对性,将区域政策与功能性政策有机结合,是促进区域经济协调发展的关键和重点;理顺要素价格,消除价格扭曲,完善税收制度,优化资源配置是促进欠发达地区加快发展的有效途径;落实中央关于公共服务均等化原则,加大国家对欠发达地区的支持力度,是促进区域经济协调发展的基本政策取向。     

Policy Options to Address Slow Income Growth and Improve Income Mobility

Over an extremely long period of time, real compensation growth does track real output growth. However, for many years the level of male compensation was unusually high relative to productivity, so much of what has happened since 1973 has been a course correction where productivity catches up. Income concentration has risen, but, typically, in the United States periods of increasing concentration have been periods of higher median income growth. The data suggest that the share of earnings going to the top 1 percent peaked around 2000, and that upward income mobility in the United States has not diminished, and is comparable to that in other nations. We do need policy changes to promote upward mobility, both indirectly by encouraging aggregate growth and targeting those that help poor children move ahead.     

地方外经贸财政促进政策资金管理体制需完善

<正>·链接·目前地方外经贸财政促进政策主要包括中小企业开拓国际市场补贴、出口信用保险保费补贴、反倾销应诉补贴、品牌扶持、科技创新扶持、开发区优惠政策、引资奖励、招商补贴、服务     

提高食品检测准确性的方法

经济在快速进步,生活水准也日益提升。从目前来看,多数人更注重选购食品的总体质量,例如营养含量、色香味等方面。食品可提供能量,也直接关系着健康及安全。维护食品安全,是现今食品检测的根本思路。食品监督的范围内,食品检测是不可缺失的。唯有经过全方位检测,才可确保某类食品具备了安全性,可以上市并且食用。针对食品检测,要从根本入手提升准确性,杜绝检测数据的细微偏差。     

提高食品检验结果准确性的有效途径分析

本文结合笔者实践工作经验,主要对食品检验的内涵及方法,影响食品检验结果准确性的重要因素展开分析,并针对性地制定一些提高食品检验结果准确性的方法和路径,以期能够为食品安全工作提供一定的参考。     

筹资决策支持系统数学模型的面向对象表示方法

企业从组建到进行经营生产活动,都必须以占有和能够支配一定数额的资金为前提,因此企业能否选择一个合理、恰当的筹资决策方案势必影响到企业日后经营的成败。由于模型具有提供了决策者通过推广、对比已有结构来分析问题的能力。因此,从筹资决策问题模型入手,运用面向对象的模型表示法构建筹资决策支持系统,从而实现了及时辅助企业决策者做出正确决策的目的。     

无为而治的中国乡-城迁移

无为而治的乡-城迁移策略包括两层含义:其一,从制度视角看,即无须变革现阶段将乡-城迁移限制在城乡两个完全竞争劳动力市场之间的户籍制,也不能允许城市政府任意制定禁、限农民工进城打工的地方保护主义政策;其二,从流向上看,在我国目前大中城市工资水平和工作机会创造率都大大高于小城镇的情况下,企图引导更多的农民工流向工资水平较低、工作相对难找的小城镇的策略,似乎既无必要,也无可能.在市场经济条件下,不可无视市场力量的主导作用.     

无为而治的中国乡—城迁移

无为而治的乡-城迁移策略包括两层含义其一,从制度视角看,即无须变革现阶段将乡-城迁移限制在城乡两个完全竞争劳动力市场之间的户籍制,也不能允许城市政府任意制定"禁、限"农民工进城打工的地方保护主义政策;其二,从流向上看,在我国目前大中城市工资水平和工作机会创造率都大大高于小城镇的情况下,企图引导更多的农民工流向工资水平较低、工作相对难找的小城镇的策略,似乎既无必要,也无可能.在市场经济条件下,不可无视市场力量的主导作用.     

论从紧货币政策下的政府采购政策

本文通过对政府采购政策与宏观经济政策目标之间的内生关联性的分析,探讨了在目前我国实行从紧的货币政策环境下应采取的政府采购政策,认为可以通过改善部门预算编制、加强对劳动密集型产品采购以及深化节能采购政策等具体措施加以实现。     

论从紧货币政策下的政府采购政策

本文通过对政府采购政策与宏观经济政策目标之间的内生关联性的分析,探讨了在目前我国实行从紧的货币政策环境下应采取的政府采购政策,认为可以通过改善部门预算编制、加强对劳动密集型产品采购以及深化节能采购政策等具体措施加以实现.     

Industrial Policy to Develop a Multi-Firm Industry

Governments face pressure to act when coordination and learning externalities block development of otherwise-profitable industries that would produce merit goods for the domestic market. A short-term subsidy that offsets these externalities could potentially jump-start a multi-firm industry, if the subsidy induces a pioneer firm to enter and then the pioneer’s first-period output generates coordination and learning externalities. These externalities could induce subsequent entry by input suppliers and/or competitors. However, empirical evidence raises questions about the ability of governments to use short-term subsidies to jump-start new industries. We explore one explanation for the difficulty of jump-starting new industries: the subsidy could generate counter-productive incentives for the pioneer firm to prevent entry of additional firms. We model the jump-start strategy and examine whether coupling a short-term fixed subsidy with a per-unit subsidy can achieve the objective of creating a multi-firm industry.     

An Exploration of the Advertising Ambitions and Strategies of the 2001 British General Election

This paper reports on one element of our wider study investigating the 2001 British General Election national advertising, and the attitudes and perceptions of the young British electorate to the campaigns. The discussion presented here explores the strategies and ambitions of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrats' 2001 national advertising campaigns. Our analysis is based on indepth interviews with key members of the three parties advertising agencies; content analysis of the national posters, press and party election broadcasts; and secondary source information e.g. coverage in the marketing and advertising press, newspaper, radio and TV reporting. A number of issues emerge including the key role of the advertising in agenda setting and agenda control, evidence of media misrepresentation of the central advertising themes, the poor use of the Internet, and the rather limited ambitions for the advertising itself.     

不断提高构建社会主义和谐社会的能力

和谐社会是一个民主法治、公平正义、诚信友爱、充满活力、安定有序、人与自然和谐相处的社会.当前中国存在的一些社会问题影响了社会和谐.因此,要针对中国国情,调整政策,不断提高构建社会主义和谐社会的能力.     

宏观经济形势与宏观调控政策取向分析

2006年宏观经济运行情况总体较好，国民经济继续保持速度较快、效益较好、物价较低的良好发展势头。当前经济运行存在的突出问题是投资规模偏大、货币信贷投放偏多和国际收支不平衡矛盾加剧。从短期看，经济总量仍处于偏热状态；从中长期看，结构性矛盾更加突出，成为制约经济增长的“软肋”。2007年要继续保持宏观调控政策的连续和稳定，适当调整总量，着力调整结构，将短期调控与中长期结构调整和深化体制改革紧密结合起来，根据形势发展需要适时适度进行调控，促进经济持续协调健康发展。