The Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship presents:

John Holbein (University of Virginia)

Are Voting Experiences Transformative? Expanding Upon and Meta-Analyzing the Evidence

You can learn more about Professor Holbein by clicking here.

Where and When: Friday, February 21, 2020  at 3:00pm. Room C-2059, Lionel Groulx, UdeM.

Abstract: When citizens to vote, does it change their other attitudes and behaviors? While foundational theories and correlational evidence suggest that voting is transformative in this way, relatively little research has considered this topic. In this paper, we bring clarity to this literature by exploring the effect of exogenous voting shocks on citizens’ political interest, political knowledge, sense of civic duty, social awareness, and ideological positions. To do so, we pair data from Brazil, Columbia, and the United States with an exact date-of-birth regression discontinuity design. We find that exogenous voting increases have precisely-estimated null average treatment effects on these downstream outcomes. We augment these results with a second approach—a new meta-analysis on whether voting is transformative. This method corroborates the fact that getting people to vote is not sufficient to increase civic engagement.

See all the other Speaker Series Events here.

This series is sponsored by the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, which is funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC).

The Center for the Study of Democratic Citizenship is happy to co-sponsor the event:

6th Leuven – Montréal Winter School on Elections

Hosts: Université de Montréal

Where and When: 29 February – 7 March 2020, Université de Montréal

About the event: Elections and voting behaviour are central topics in political science. This line of research calls for sophisticated research, both from a theoretical and a methodological point of view. The high-quality standards in the field imply that there is a need for specific training for PhD students working on these topics. The Leuven-Montréal Winter School addresses this need by offering a program focused on theories and methods in the study of elections and voting behaviour. The Winter School is organized jointly by the universities of Montréal and Leuven, and is based on the expertise of these universities and other well-known scholars on elections and voting behaviour.

Call for papers: please click here

For more information, please visit the website: https://soc.kuleuven.be/centre-for-political-research/events/6th-winterschool-2020 

All are welcome!

The Winter School is organized in collaboration with the Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), and supported by the ECPR Standing Group on Public Opinion and Voting Behaviour in a Comparative Perspective.

The Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship presents:

Jonathan Mummolo (Princeton University)

Administrative Records Mask Racially Biased Policing

You can learn more about Professor Mummolo by clicking here.

Where and When: Friday, March 20, 2020 at 3:00pm. Room 404, Thomson House, McGill University.

Abstract: Researchers often lack the necessary data to credibly estimate racial bias in policing. In particular, police administrative records lack information on civilians police observe but do not investigate. In this paper, we show that if police racially discriminate when choosing whom to investigate, analyses using administrative records to estimate racial discrimination in police behavior are statistically biased, rendering many quantities of interest unidentified—even among investigated individuals—absent strong and untestable assumptions. Using principal stratification in a causal mediation framework, we derive the exact form of the statistical bias that results from traditional estimation approaches. We develop a bias-correction procedure and nonparametric sharp bounds for race effects, replicate published findings, and show traditional estimation techniques can severely underestimate levels of racially biased policing or mask discrimination entirely. We conclude by outlining a general and feasible design for future studies that is robust to this inferential snare.

See all the other Speaker Series Events here.

This series is sponsored by the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, which is funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC).

The Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship presents:

Sara Hobolt (London School of Economics and Political Science)

Title Coming Soon

You can learn more about Professor Hobolt by clicking here.

Where and When: Friday, April 3, 2020 at 3:00pm. Room TBD, Lionel Groulx Building, UdeM.

Abstract: Abstract soon. 

See all the other Speaker Series Events here.

This series is sponsored by the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, which is funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC).

The Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship presents:

Cory Clark (Durham University)

Title Coming Soon

You can learn more about Professor Clark by clicking here.

Where and When: Friday, April 17, 2020 at 3:00pm. Room Salle 404, Thomson House, McGill.

Abstract: Abstract soon. 

See all the other Speaker Series Events here.

This series is sponsored by the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, which is funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC).

Graduate Student Conference

Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship

April 23rd, 2020

Maison du développement durable, Montréal

Call for Papers

The Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship (CSDC) will host its annual graduate student conference on Thursday, April 23rd, in Montreal. The goal of this conference is to offer graduate students and postdoctoral fellows interested in the Centre’s research areas the opportunity to present and receive feedback on their research.

The Centre’s research areas include:

1. Learning Democratic Citizenship in an Unequal World: This axis focuses on the acquisition of values, attitudes and behaviours that contribute to a vibrant democratic citizenry. Democracy rests fundamentally on the principle of political equality, but in practice, economic and social disadvantage translates into unequal access to political power and decision-making (Schlozman et al 2012). Growing inequality is chipping away at the foundations of democracy, leading to increased political polarization and disaffection with politics (Kwon 2015). Now more than ever, effective democracies require engaged, responsible, and knowledgeable citizens. Understanding the factors that impact the development of this type of active democratic citizenship is a key goal of axis 1.
2. Practicing Citizenship in a Skeptical World: The practice of democratic citizenship is undergoing a multifaceted transition. Scepticism about representative democracy as a system of governance is growing and citizens across established democracies are withdrawing from politics. Their perception about the political world is impacted by transformations in the news media practices and by online content, including social media. Voting and party politics have been the basis of conventional interpretations of citizenship, but there is ample evidence that this conception is much too limited. New forms of communication are providing citizens with novel ways to gather information and to engage in politics.
3. Representing and Governing Citizens in Critical Times: After learning and practicing democratic citizenship, the next critical steps are representation and governance. Democratic institutions are key elements. They shape the norms and incentives for active citizenship and they link citizens and their representatives in ways that foster accountability, legitimacy and representation. Research on this axis will focus on the role of electoral systems, parliaments, parliamentary debates, and political parties.

This conference is open to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from any university or discipline that shares an interest in one of the Centre’s research areas. There is no registration fee. Participants registered at a Quebec university or in the Ottawa region, and who are coming in from outside Montreal are eligible for a stipend from the CSDC to cover travel costs up to 102$. Accommodation costs will also be covered by the CSDC.

Those whose proposal have been accepted will be required to participate in the entire conference and to submit a written communication in the form of a research note or paper no later than 10 days prior to the beginning of the conference. Each presenter will give a presentation of approximately 15 minutes on their proposed topic and act as a discussant for a paper presented by another student. Furthermore, we strongly encourage participants to submit a written communication of approximatively 4000 words. This directive aims to encourage participants to focus on the oral presentation of their research. Obviously, we will still accept longer written communications in the form of a scientific article. French will be the primary language of the conference; however, participants are welcome to submit papers and present in English.

Graduate and postdoctoral students interested in presenting at the CSDC conference are invited to contact Maxime Coulombe (maxime.coulombe.1@umontreal.ca) with the following information: (1) their first and last name, (2) their institutional email address, (3) their current level of study (Masters, Ph.D. or Post-Doctorate), (4) the department and university with which they are affiliated, (5) their supervisor’s name and email address, (6) the title of their proposed paper, and (7) an abstract of around 250 words which presents the research questions, the theoretical approach, the methodology, and the planned status of the research at the time of the conference (project, or preliminary results and initial analysis, or completed results and analyses).

Deadline to submit proposals: December 15th, 2019

Notification of accepted proposals: Late-January, 2020

Deadline to submit papers: April 13th, 2020

The Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship (CSDC) was established in 2008, funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et Culture (FRQ-SC). The Centre brings together a group of scholars from six Quebec universities addressing a wide range of questions relating to the relationship between citizens and the political process in a multidisciplinary perspective. For more information on the CSDC, visit: http://csdc-cecd.ca.

For more information on the conference, please contact the organizers:

Maxime Coulombe (maxime.coulombe.1@umontreal.ca)

Frédérick Bastien (f.bastien@umontreal.ca)

CSDC CONFERENCE – CALL FOR PAPERS

Democracy and Diversity

April 24-25, 2020, Montréal, QC

Canada and democracies across the globe face a broad array of important normative and empirical questions with regard to diversity. What avenues are available to immigrants, ethnocultural citizens, or other minority groups to be heard by decision-makers? How have both citizens and institutions responded to this growth in diversity? How do these responses vary across democratic contexts?

For the second edition of its triennial conference, the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship (CSDC) invites a broad, multidisciplinary range of paper submissions that address these questions. The conference will include a series of panels for the invited papers, a poster session for graduate students, as well as roundtables. We are organizing panels around the following subthemes, with an emphasis on diversity:

• Immigration
• Elections
• Representation
• Democratization
• Democratic Politics
• Psychology

While the focus is on diversity, we welcome submissions on topics related to any of the CSDC’s  three research axes. We strongly encourage papers that place Canada in a comparative context. Selected participants will be expected to provide complete papers by April 3, 2020.

To apply, please send the following information 1) paper submission (title, list of authors, and abstract of no more than 250 words) and 2) up to three suggested panels to csdc.cecd2020@gmail.com by January 10, 2020. Paper submissions are welcome in English or French.

Co-Organizers:

• Ruth Dassonneville (ruth.dassonneville@umontreal.ca), Université de Montréal
• Aaron Erlich (aaron.erlich@mcgill.ca), McGill University
• Jean-François Godbout (jean-francois.godbout@umontreal.ca), Université de Montréal

The Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship presents:

Daniel Butler (University of California San Diego)

Title Coming Soon

You can learn more about Professor Butler by clicking here.

Where and When: Friday, May 8, 2020 at 3:00pm. Room TBD, Thomson House, McGill.

Abstract: Abstract soon. 

See all the other Speaker Series Events here.

This series is sponsored by the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, which is funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC).

The Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship presents:

Bart Bonikowski (Harvard University)

Title Coming Soon

You can learn more about Professor Bonikowski by clicking here.

Where and When: Friday, May 22, 2020 at 3:00pm. Room 404, Thomson House, McGill.

Abstract: Abstract soon. 

See all the other Speaker Series Events here.

This series is sponsored by the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, which is funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC).