Abstract. In countries with multi-level governance, the balance of power between centre and periphery results from complex bargaining processes. Existing literature equates decentralisation to its de jure dimension, which risks missing variation in the extent to which decentralisation reforms take place. In this paper, we argue that decentralisation is a two-stage process. In the first step,…

Abstract. The idea of a Universal Inheritance (UI) has been recently gaining weight amongst scholars concerned over increasing wealth inequality. A UI consists of a one-off public payment of an agreed sum to each citizen of young adulthood. In this article, we provide the results of novel simulations to assess the cost and the distributive impact of such policy by testing different parameters for…

Abstract. The COVID-19 pandemic brought about some extraordinary shifts in citizens’ preferences about intergovernmental responsibilities in several federal states and has therefore provided an especially interesting context to contribute to the ongoing debate about the scope, direction, and determinants of attitudinal change in citizens’ preferences in situations of protracted crisis. Although…

Abstract. Authoritarian elites may play an essential role in transitioning democracies, but little is known about the fate of these elites beyond that of the top leaders. This article offers the first panel-data study of authoritarian elites in a transitional democracy. We focus on Spain, a paradigmatic case of successful democratization from above, and rely on an original dataset…

Resumen. La fragmentación y la polarización en el sistema parlamentario español se habían analizado hasta ahora con limitaciones temporales o territoriales. En este trabajo, se exponen los niveles de fragmentación y polarización ideológica en el Congreso de los Diputados y en las cámaras de las 17 comunidades autónomas desde 1979 a 2022. Los hallazgos permiten identificar qué cámaras están más…

Abstract. A recent experimental literature has documented that people are (sometimes) asymmetric updaters: good news is over-weighted relative to bad news. This phenomenon might be due to selective recall (SR), whereby people better recall positive evidence than negative evidence. To test this hypothesis, we ran a balls-and-urns experiment where each subject faced a box with 100 balls, each…

Abstract. Populism is theoretically associated with an antagonistic interpretation of politics. Populists tend to morally delegitimize their adversaries, exhibit “bad manners” toward them, and sometimes even try to exclude them from “the people.” They are also more inclined to prioritize radical policy and institutional changes. Therefore, populism appears to be directly at odds with consensus…

Abstract. This research article delves into methodological challenges in scientometrics, focusing on errors stemming from the selection of classification schemes and document types. Employing two case studies, we examine the impact of these methodological choices on publication and citation rankings of institutions. We compute seven bibliometric indicators for over 8434 institutions using 23…

Abstract. Contemporary democracies are undergoing a period of rising levels of polarization and fragmentation. At the same time, the degree of conflict in several parliaments, particularly in Europe, has significantly increased. Despite this, we know very little about conflict and consensus-building in parliaments. In this article, we analyze the degree of agreement in…

Abstract. Exploring the multifaceted relationship between scientific impact and science communication through art, our study surveys 2,500 Spanish artistic researchers. Guided by deviance theories and double standards theories we reveal a nuanced pattern: the effect of scientific impact initially impedes science communication through art, turning positive after a given…