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Item Does deliberation help deliver informed electorates: Evidence from Irish referendum votes(Taylor & Francis, 2019-12-26) Suiter, Jane; Reidy, TheresaWe argue that integrating citizen deliberation structures into the pre-referendum phase can deliver systematic improvements in democratic outcomes such as alignment between values and vote. Using data from three Irish referendums, the research examines the potential of deliberative mini-publics to deliver more informed electorates. An emerging branch of literature argues that direct and deliberative democracy can be mutually supportive. It demonstrates that there is much potential to be realised when the fields of deliberation and the practice of referendums are brought together. Greater understanding of referendum issues can be achieved by mini-publics extending the time allocated to discussing issues, producing rigorous and informed materials and delivering decisions which stem from citizens who are more likely to approximate the general public and therefore be more trusted by ordinary voters. Ultimately we argue that deliberative processes enhance subjective and objective knowledge and this leads to referendum outcomes where a larger share of voters cast ballots which align with their fundamental values. The analysis demonstrates that there was greater alignment between the core values of voters and their vote decisions when a deliberative phase was introduced into the constitutional referendum process; and furthermore that this alignment grew as deliberation became more embedded and normalised.Item Research transparency and openness(Springer Nature Switzerland AG, 2023-04-04) Basile, Linda; Blair, Alasdair; Buckley, FionaIn this editorial we present the new guidelines for research transparency and open data when publishing in European Political Science (EPS). These standards are drawn from the Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) guidelines. In introducing these guidelines, we take an opportunity to reflect on the importance of research transparency, the challenges that it faces, and offer a few suggestions to encourage and foster a culture of open data.Item The structural power of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in multilateral development finance: A case study of the New Development Bank(SAGE Publications, 2021-10-14) Duggan, Niall; Ladines Azalia, Juan Carlos; Rewizorski, MarekThe emergence of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) as an alternative force to the West has ignited a debate within the discipline of international political economy on the nature of the groupâ s rise. Global governance scholars either debate the role of the BRICS in transforming the world order (playing the game) or focus on the domestic sources of the BRICS nations' preference formation (the position of states within the game). This article goes beyond the game-versus-player debate, by focusing on the structural power of the BRICS to 'change the rules of the game'. The article investigates how the BRICS-created New Development Bank as an alternative circuit for actors to exchange goods in the area of development finance has been integrated into global governance. The article argues that the New Development Bank does not grant the BRICS the structural power needed to change the rules and norms that underpin the game.Item Does social media use matter? A case study of the 2018 Irish Abortion Referendum(Cogitatio, 2023-01-31) Reidy, Theresa; Suiter, Jane; Radio Teilifís Éireann; University College Dublin; Dublin City University; University College Cork; European Research Council; Horizon 2020The role of social media at electoral events is much speculated upon. Wide-ranging effects, and often critical evaluations, are attributed to commentary, discussions, and advertising on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, and many other platforms. But the specific effects of these social media during campaigns, especially referendum campaigns, remain under-studied. This thematic issue is a very valuable contribution for precisely this reason. Using the 2018 abortion referendum in Ireland as an illustrative case, this commentary argues for greater research on social media at referendum campaigns, more critical evaluation of the claims and counterclaims about social media effects, often aired widely without substantive evidence, and, finally, for robust, coordinated cross-national regulation of all digital platforms in line with global democratic norms.Item Perceived discourse quality in the Irish Citizens' Assembly deliberations on abortion(European Commission, 2022-04) Farrell, David M.; Suiter, Jane; Cunningham, Kevin; Harris, Clodagh; Horizon 2020; European Cooperation in Science and TechnologyThis paper contributes to a growing interest in process related approaches in the study of deliberative mini-publics. Its focus is on the perceived quality of deliberation in the Irish Citizens’ Assembly’s discussions on Ireland’s constitutional ban on abortion, which occurred over the course of five weekends of meetings from late 2016 through to the spring of 2017, culminating in recommendations for a referendum to remove Ireland’s constitutional ban on abortion. This paper makes use of survey data to examine the Citizens’ Assembly’s members’ perceptions of the quality of the deliberative process. We find that, by one measure of discourse quality (individual access to the conversation), levels of satisfaction were greatest among the less educated. Over time the levels of discourse quality (again by this measure) rose particularly among the minority of Assembly members who were ‘pro-life’.