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Item Cleavage referendums: ideological decisions and transformational political change(Cogitatio Press, 2025-05-07) Reidy, TheresaReferendum use has been increasing around the world. In some cases, referendum devices are incorporated into the institutional architecture of the state while in many others, referendums are used in an, and often consultative manner, to determine positions on contentious and divisive political questions. Many of the divisive referendum questions are what we term “cleavage referendums” in this thematic issue. These referendums ask questions that draw from underlying cleavages or fault lines in politics. Voting in these referendums will often exhibit first‐order effects, as voters make decisions that align with their fundamental values and beliefs. The articles in this issue make three important contributions to enrich existing work on referendums: The first contribution lies in the development of new conceptual models for analysing referendums, such as new forms of classifying cleavage referendums, presenting a predictive model for the outcomes of referendum votes, and documenting and applying methodological approaches and frameworks that can provide the foundations for further future comparative work. The second contribution builds on the burgeoning literature that sits at the intersection of deliberative and direct democracy. In this sense, the articles interrogate examples of deliberative and participatory innovations in combination with referendum votes, while also examining their further potential, especially in one of the most contentious referendum contexts, secession. Finally, the role of cleavage structures in shaping voter decision‐making is explored thoroughly in comparative analyses and single case studies.Item Violence against politicians in Ireland: what does it look like and how is it gendered?(Taylor & Francis, 2024-12-23) Buckley, Fiona; Keenan, Lisa; Mariani, Mack; Norges ForskningsrådThis paper investigates the phenomenon of political violence (harassment, intimidation, threats and abuse) directed at politicians in Ireland. We ask: to what extent is it gendered in scope, form, and consequences? Our analysis finds evidence of gender differences with respect to the prevalence and nature of political violence. In comparison to men, women politicians in Ireland experience political violence more often, are more frequently subjected to psychological violence, and are more likely to be subject to violence with sexual connotations. We also find evidence of gendered consequences, with more women than men reporting that their political engagement has made them feel more afraid and less willing to run for election in future.Item The EU’s influence on the peace process and agreement in Northern Ireland in light of Brexit(Taylor and Francis, 2018) Hayward, Katy; Murphy, Mary C.; Economic and Social Research CouncilThe UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU) has enormous implications for Northern Ireland. All sides to the Brexit negotiations quickly agreed that it was vitally important to protect the peace process and to uphold the 1998 Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement. However, the question of how this was to be done soon became a point over which there were very apparent differences between the two sides; such differences are manifest within Northern Ireland in differing political views regarding European integration and national sovereignty. This paper explores the effects of EU membership on the peace process and the Agreement in light of the Brexit process. It provides an overview of the difficulties and frictions in finding a common approach from Northern Ireland to the EU and explains how this is manifest in the response to the Brexit referendum of June 2016. It concludes by considering some of the ways in which the Agreement itself offers means of navigating some of the more thorny issues arising as a result of the UK's withdrawal from the EU.Item A systematic review of the lived experiences of the energy vulnerable: Where are the research gaps?(Elsevier Ltd., 2024-05-10) Hihetah, Claudia; Ó Gallachóir , Brian; Dunphy , Niall P.; Harris, Clodagh; Science Foundation IrelandThe transition to a low-carbon world, coupled with energy supply uncertainties, has heightened the urgency to better understand the experiences of vulnerable groups who lack affordable and adequate energy. Access to energy is crucial for their health, well-being, and social stability. However, there are significant knowledge gaps relating to the lived experiences of energy vulnerable groups that this paper directly addresses. There is a wide body of literature focusing on the quantification of, and policy response to, energy poverty alongside a fast- growing area of research on the lived experience of the energy vulnerable. This paper's systematic review of research on the lived experiences of the energy vulnerable reveals 46 peer-reviewed articles published between 2011 and 2021. Its review highlights diverse approaches to exploring energy vulnerability, the range of vulnerable groups investigated and different motivations for focusing on lived experiences. The results point to a number of key gaps in the literature in terms of definitions and terminologies, geographic coverage, gender, life stage (specifically children), ethnicity (ethnic minorities absent) and ability (people with disabilities are a further gap). It concludes that there is a need for more context-specific, mixed-methods and longitudinal studies in this area. Having identified gaps in the literature, it recommends how some of these can be addressed and reflects on how studies focused on the lived experience of energy poverty should advance.Item Does deliberation help deliver informed electorates: Evidence from Irish referendum votes(Taylor & Francis, 43825) 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.