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This paper examines the long-held thesis that political participation educates and transforms individuals. The theoretical framework of this study combines two theories: the theory of the formative effect of elections and the participatory democracy theory. The central contention of this research is that the more an individual has participated in EP elections, the more strongly one holds positive attitudes toward the EU. To deal with the reverse causality that might flow from positive attitudes toward the EU to voting participation in the EP elections, this study employs instrument variable (IV) regression analysis. The results of the analysis using Eurobarometer 54.1 provide support for a significant effect of voting participation in the EP elections on the formation of positive attitudes toward the EU.
Research on economic restructuring generally emphasizes change, rather than continuity, in the socioeconomic landscape. That expectation is addressed here by comparing 1970 and 1990 in terms of the gender division of labor for U.S. counties. These years represent poles of the Fordist/post-Fordist transition, an era of cataclysmic change. A subset of counties comprising the Ohio River Valley also is considered. This represents an old industrial region, the type most affected by the Fordist/post-Fordist transition. Analyses include cartographic comparisons using various spatial analysis techniques and regression analyses using variables related to the gender division of labor. Contrary to the usual expectation, the authors find that the lack of change is far more dominant than its presence, that is, continuity or continuity amidst change. This highlights the important, and generally overlooked, role of inertia effects on socioeconomic landscapes.
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