Book Chapters by Maximilien Cogels
On dit souvent que les partis et les candidats « mènent campagne », mobilisant ainsi une métaphor... more On dit souvent que les partis et les candidats « mènent campagne », mobilisant ainsi une métaphore guerrière. Mais quel impact la campagne électorale a-t-elle sur le vote ? Ce chapitre offre une synthèse des différents aspects d’une campagne électorale traités dans cette partie en les étudiant sous l’angle du résultat électoral. Dans un premier temps, il propose des éléments de définition et de contexte pour mettre en perspective l’impact du financement des partis, de l’accès aux médias et des sondages sur les comportements électoraux. Dans un deuxième temps, il présente deux études empiriques. D’une part, les relations entre dépenses et performances électorales des partis et des candidats sont analysées. D’autre part, les liens entre couverture médiatique et résultats électoraux sont examinés.
This chapter analyses the triggers of preferential voting in Belgium. Combining both contextual a... more This chapter analyses the triggers of preferential voting in Belgium. Combining both contextual and candidate level information, the authors first test how features of the electoral and political competition (i.e. position on the list, district and party magnitude) influence preferential votes. Then, they focus on the role of individual characteristics of candidates, taking into account not only their socio-demographic background, but also their attitudinal and behavioural attributes. In particular, candidates’ ties with their own local constituencies, previous political experience, as well as the resources and tools they employed during the campaign are widely explored in the chapter.
Campaigning has evolved over time, especially with the emergence of e-campaigning. While the use ... more Campaigning has evolved over time, especially with the emergence of e-campaigning. While the use of internet and communication technologies (ICTs) in politics has become a popular topic in the current literature on electoral campaigning, it remains unclear what pushes a candidate to use one tool rather than another. This chapter has two main goals, first to scrutinise the use of campaigning tools by the candidates of the 2014 electoral campaign, and secondly, to investigate to what extent the candidate determines the use of one campaigning method rather than the other. By doing so, we aim at tackling the various strategies deployed by candidates to communicate to the electorate during the campaign—while taking into account party norms and contextual factors that may shape these strategies.
This chapter examines the impact of differences in political and institutional contexts on the pe... more This chapter examines the impact of differences in political and institutional contexts on the personalisation of campaigns for the Belgian elections of 2007, 2010 and 2014. These differences affected indeed the political calibre of the candidates recruited in terms of insiders/outsiders ratio and therefore the candidate-centredness of their campaign. Insiders conduct more candidate-centred campaign, use more campaign instruments and mobilise more a campaign team. Finally, the meso and micro-determinants of campaign personalisation differ partially from those that were statistically significant in the more “regular” 2007 federal elections. Having a safe place on the list and belonging to a green party were significant for all the components of candidate-centred campaigns, while party and constituency magnitude, ideological difference with party and gender were insignificant in some elections.
Conference Presentations by Maximilien Cogels
[ECPR Joint sessions, Nicosia (Cyprus)]
Political parties are often considered as being at the c... more [ECPR Joint sessions, Nicosia (Cyprus)]
Political parties are often considered as being at the centre of the electoral process. However, with the weakening of social structures one can ask if it is still the case. Undeniably, more and more voters disassociate themselves from a political party in a context of dealignment and electoral volatility, reducing the role of party representation and enhancing the personalization of the representative process. Nevertheless, while candidates play a crucial role in the political linkage, it is still the party who selects them and decides who is eligible for a seat in Belgium. Therefore, it would be wrong to neglect the role of the political party in the personalisation process. In fact, the argument that the candidate is just a tool, used to optimize the winning chances of the party is just as plausible. One way to contribute to the ongoing debate and shed some light on the phenomenon of personalization is by considering the final offer of the political party, namely the electoral lists it presents in various constituencies. From this perspective the objective of this article is a twofold. The first is to investigate how parties balance the electoral lists with regard to the socio-demographic characteristics of candidates (i.e. age, residence, gender, profession) as well as their political characteristics (i.e. incumbency, campaign experience, previous preference votes). Following this, the determinants of the final list compositions will be analysed. Are there structural factors (e.g. district magnitude, party magnitude,…) influencing the list composition regardless of the differences in the candidate selection process and what type of candidates do they favour? This article answers the call for more research on PR electoral systems, by using longitudinal Belgian data ranging from 1995 until 2014 – offering the possibility to identify the impact of variation in the electoral system due to subsequent electoral reforms.
*ECPR General Conference, Prague (Czech Rep.), 7-10 Sept. 2016.
**Abstract**
This study aims to a... more *ECPR General Conference, Prague (Czech Rep.), 7-10 Sept. 2016.
**Abstract**
This study aims to analyse a dimension of personalization, namely the candidates elected out of order. Covering a time span of approximately 20 years, from 1995 until 2014 at the federal level in Belgium. This research is based on the official list results, in order to see if (A) there is an increase in the candidates elected out of order, as well as (B) what we can tell about their profile. The personalization of politics has been quite in vogue in the last years, but scholars are still unable to find common ground when it comes to both its measures and conceptualization. This paper aims to bring a new way to measure the personalization: the elected out of order.
ECPR General Conference, Panel "Voting Advice Applications and Party Positioning. Measuring Polic... more ECPR General Conference, Panel "Voting Advice Applications and Party Positioning. Measuring Policy Positions of Parties and Intra-Party Cohesiveness", Prague (Czech Rep.), 7-10 Sept. 2016.
Book Reviews by Maximilien Cogels
Pierre Allorant, Jean Garrigues, Corinne Legoy, Gaël Rideau, Arnaud Suspène (dir.), Paroles d'en haut, Paris, Classiques Garnier, coll. « POLEN Pouvoirs, lettres, norme », 2016, 303 p. Maximilien Cogels, « Pierre Allorant, Jean Garrigues, Corinne Legoy, Gaël Rideau, Arnaud Suspène ... more Maximilien Cogels, « Pierre Allorant, Jean Garrigues, Corinne Legoy, Gaël Rideau, Arnaud Suspène (dir.), Paroles d’en haut », Lectures [En ligne], Les comptes rendus, 2016, mis en ligne le 05 septembre 2016, consulté le 05 septembre 2016. URL : http://lectures.revues.org/21303
While the study of presidentialisation is often combined with the concept of personalisation, Gia... more While the study of presidentialisation is often combined with the concept of personalisation, Gianluca Passarelli decides to make a clear conceptual distinction between the two, focussing on the already highly debated study of the presidentialisation of politics. By starting with the premise that under certain circumstances presidentialisation is also possible in non-presidential systems, this book takes a closer look at the presidentialisation of political parties in the world, advocating that the presidentialisation of politics stems from the behaviour of political parties.
Maximilien Cogels, « Prétendre représenter : la représentation politique comme revendication », R... more Maximilien Cogels, « Prétendre représenter : la représentation politique comme revendication », Revue française de science politique, vol. 66, n° 1, février 2016. », Lectures [En ligne], Les comptes rendus, 2016, mis en ligne le 28 avril 2016, consulté le 28 avril 2016. URL : http://lectures.revues.org/20715
Call for papers by Maximilien Cogels
[ECPR General Conference call for papers]
We are organising a panel on representation among cand... more [ECPR General Conference call for papers]
We are organising a panel on representation among candidates at the ECPR general conference in September. You will find the call for papers hereunder, as well as in the PDF-file. We invite those interested in the panel to submit an abstract by February 13.
[Abstract]
Descriptive representation within elected assemblies has been extensively discussed, and it remains one of the main criteria to define legislative assemblies as ‘representative’. Research tends to focus on the selection process and on the representativeness of parliaments, putting light either on the role of political parties or on elected representatives. However, by focusing on the selection process or on the outcome of the elections, an important piece of the puzzle is missing: the candidates themselves. Candidates play a crucial role in the political linkage and have become the faces of political parties. Hence, candidates can have a direct impact on voters’ satisfaction.
The composition of a parliament depends directly on the composition of the pool of candidates. While we know that parties act as ‘gatekeepers’ by restraining or enhancing access to politics, we do not know much about the representativeness of the pool of candidates and how it varies according to the institutional, political, or socio-demographic context. Moreover, party strategies in list composition might also generate a distortion between the representativeness of the pool of candidates and representativeness of the elected assemblies.
The panel welcomes papers dealing with the issues discussed above, notably the question of descriptive representation among candidates (specifically gender and minority groups representation, and intersectional perspectives). We are also interested in other aspects of representation that are often overlooked by theoretical and empirical scholarship, such as local or geographical representation. Finally, papers focusing on the demand side, such as voters’ satisfaction with the candidates supply or analyses of preferential voting, are also welcomed.
Papers by Maximilien Cogels
[Nathalie SCHIFFINO; Maximilien COGELS, Pierre BAUDEWYNS; Ella HAMONIC; Vincent LEGRAND; Min REUC... more [Nathalie SCHIFFINO; Maximilien COGELS, Pierre BAUDEWYNS; Ella HAMONIC; Vincent LEGRAND; Min REUCHAMPS]
One oft-heard criticism about MOOCs is the fact that few learners complete the course and finally obtain a certificate. This article addresses this issue on the basis of the analysis of the MOOC “Découvrir la science politique” (whose acronym is Louv3x and is available on the edX platform). With a retention rate of 18%, this MOOC scores above the average. In order to refine empirically the question, and building on existing literature, the authors draw a distinction between levels of active retention and passive retention. In this perspective, the paper digs into data – both quantitative and qualitative – collected throughout the MOOC and explores several explanatory factors of retention and motivation for the learners and the teaching team
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Book Chapters by Maximilien Cogels
Conference Presentations by Maximilien Cogels
Political parties are often considered as being at the centre of the electoral process. However, with the weakening of social structures one can ask if it is still the case. Undeniably, more and more voters disassociate themselves from a political party in a context of dealignment and electoral volatility, reducing the role of party representation and enhancing the personalization of the representative process. Nevertheless, while candidates play a crucial role in the political linkage, it is still the party who selects them and decides who is eligible for a seat in Belgium. Therefore, it would be wrong to neglect the role of the political party in the personalisation process. In fact, the argument that the candidate is just a tool, used to optimize the winning chances of the party is just as plausible. One way to contribute to the ongoing debate and shed some light on the phenomenon of personalization is by considering the final offer of the political party, namely the electoral lists it presents in various constituencies. From this perspective the objective of this article is a twofold. The first is to investigate how parties balance the electoral lists with regard to the socio-demographic characteristics of candidates (i.e. age, residence, gender, profession) as well as their political characteristics (i.e. incumbency, campaign experience, previous preference votes). Following this, the determinants of the final list compositions will be analysed. Are there structural factors (e.g. district magnitude, party magnitude,…) influencing the list composition regardless of the differences in the candidate selection process and what type of candidates do they favour? This article answers the call for more research on PR electoral systems, by using longitudinal Belgian data ranging from 1995 until 2014 – offering the possibility to identify the impact of variation in the electoral system due to subsequent electoral reforms.
**Abstract**
This study aims to analyse a dimension of personalization, namely the candidates elected out of order. Covering a time span of approximately 20 years, from 1995 until 2014 at the federal level in Belgium. This research is based on the official list results, in order to see if (A) there is an increase in the candidates elected out of order, as well as (B) what we can tell about their profile. The personalization of politics has been quite in vogue in the last years, but scholars are still unable to find common ground when it comes to both its measures and conceptualization. This paper aims to bring a new way to measure the personalization: the elected out of order.
Book Reviews by Maximilien Cogels
Call for papers by Maximilien Cogels
We are organising a panel on representation among candidates at the ECPR general conference in September. You will find the call for papers hereunder, as well as in the PDF-file. We invite those interested in the panel to submit an abstract by February 13.
[Abstract]
Descriptive representation within elected assemblies has been extensively discussed, and it remains one of the main criteria to define legislative assemblies as ‘representative’. Research tends to focus on the selection process and on the representativeness of parliaments, putting light either on the role of political parties or on elected representatives. However, by focusing on the selection process or on the outcome of the elections, an important piece of the puzzle is missing: the candidates themselves. Candidates play a crucial role in the political linkage and have become the faces of political parties. Hence, candidates can have a direct impact on voters’ satisfaction.
The composition of a parliament depends directly on the composition of the pool of candidates. While we know that parties act as ‘gatekeepers’ by restraining or enhancing access to politics, we do not know much about the representativeness of the pool of candidates and how it varies according to the institutional, political, or socio-demographic context. Moreover, party strategies in list composition might also generate a distortion between the representativeness of the pool of candidates and representativeness of the elected assemblies.
The panel welcomes papers dealing with the issues discussed above, notably the question of descriptive representation among candidates (specifically gender and minority groups representation, and intersectional perspectives). We are also interested in other aspects of representation that are often overlooked by theoretical and empirical scholarship, such as local or geographical representation. Finally, papers focusing on the demand side, such as voters’ satisfaction with the candidates supply or analyses of preferential voting, are also welcomed.
Papers by Maximilien Cogels
One oft-heard criticism about MOOCs is the fact that few learners complete the course and finally obtain a certificate. This article addresses this issue on the basis of the analysis of the MOOC “Découvrir la science politique” (whose acronym is Louv3x and is available on the edX platform). With a retention rate of 18%, this MOOC scores above the average. In order to refine empirically the question, and building on existing literature, the authors draw a distinction between levels of active retention and passive retention. In this perspective, the paper digs into data – both quantitative and qualitative – collected throughout the MOOC and explores several explanatory factors of retention and motivation for the learners and the teaching team
Political parties are often considered as being at the centre of the electoral process. However, with the weakening of social structures one can ask if it is still the case. Undeniably, more and more voters disassociate themselves from a political party in a context of dealignment and electoral volatility, reducing the role of party representation and enhancing the personalization of the representative process. Nevertheless, while candidates play a crucial role in the political linkage, it is still the party who selects them and decides who is eligible for a seat in Belgium. Therefore, it would be wrong to neglect the role of the political party in the personalisation process. In fact, the argument that the candidate is just a tool, used to optimize the winning chances of the party is just as plausible. One way to contribute to the ongoing debate and shed some light on the phenomenon of personalization is by considering the final offer of the political party, namely the electoral lists it presents in various constituencies. From this perspective the objective of this article is a twofold. The first is to investigate how parties balance the electoral lists with regard to the socio-demographic characteristics of candidates (i.e. age, residence, gender, profession) as well as their political characteristics (i.e. incumbency, campaign experience, previous preference votes). Following this, the determinants of the final list compositions will be analysed. Are there structural factors (e.g. district magnitude, party magnitude,…) influencing the list composition regardless of the differences in the candidate selection process and what type of candidates do they favour? This article answers the call for more research on PR electoral systems, by using longitudinal Belgian data ranging from 1995 until 2014 – offering the possibility to identify the impact of variation in the electoral system due to subsequent electoral reforms.
**Abstract**
This study aims to analyse a dimension of personalization, namely the candidates elected out of order. Covering a time span of approximately 20 years, from 1995 until 2014 at the federal level in Belgium. This research is based on the official list results, in order to see if (A) there is an increase in the candidates elected out of order, as well as (B) what we can tell about their profile. The personalization of politics has been quite in vogue in the last years, but scholars are still unable to find common ground when it comes to both its measures and conceptualization. This paper aims to bring a new way to measure the personalization: the elected out of order.
We are organising a panel on representation among candidates at the ECPR general conference in September. You will find the call for papers hereunder, as well as in the PDF-file. We invite those interested in the panel to submit an abstract by February 13.
[Abstract]
Descriptive representation within elected assemblies has been extensively discussed, and it remains one of the main criteria to define legislative assemblies as ‘representative’. Research tends to focus on the selection process and on the representativeness of parliaments, putting light either on the role of political parties or on elected representatives. However, by focusing on the selection process or on the outcome of the elections, an important piece of the puzzle is missing: the candidates themselves. Candidates play a crucial role in the political linkage and have become the faces of political parties. Hence, candidates can have a direct impact on voters’ satisfaction.
The composition of a parliament depends directly on the composition of the pool of candidates. While we know that parties act as ‘gatekeepers’ by restraining or enhancing access to politics, we do not know much about the representativeness of the pool of candidates and how it varies according to the institutional, political, or socio-demographic context. Moreover, party strategies in list composition might also generate a distortion between the representativeness of the pool of candidates and representativeness of the elected assemblies.
The panel welcomes papers dealing with the issues discussed above, notably the question of descriptive representation among candidates (specifically gender and minority groups representation, and intersectional perspectives). We are also interested in other aspects of representation that are often overlooked by theoretical and empirical scholarship, such as local or geographical representation. Finally, papers focusing on the demand side, such as voters’ satisfaction with the candidates supply or analyses of preferential voting, are also welcomed.
One oft-heard criticism about MOOCs is the fact that few learners complete the course and finally obtain a certificate. This article addresses this issue on the basis of the analysis of the MOOC “Découvrir la science politique” (whose acronym is Louv3x and is available on the edX platform). With a retention rate of 18%, this MOOC scores above the average. In order to refine empirically the question, and building on existing literature, the authors draw a distinction between levels of active retention and passive retention. In this perspective, the paper digs into data – both quantitative and qualitative – collected throughout the MOOC and explores several explanatory factors of retention and motivation for the learners and the teaching team