Political Scandal: Causes and Consequences

The abuse of entrusted power for personal gain can warp politics and harm society. It may taint institutions, reduce public trust in politicians and government agencies, or prompt calls for reforms and stronger safeguards. Historical scandals, like Watergate or Iran-Contra, have had lasting effects, reshaping the public discourse about corruption and influencing political leadership.

Political scandal is a dynamic force in the life of any democracy, but how do we understand its causes and consequences? This Special Issue draws on research in various disciplines to explore the nuances of political scandal and its effects. The articles in this volume use a variety of methodologies and theoretical frameworks, including social psychology, communication science, and political science. They examine how political scandals are generated, how they are framed and reported in the media, and how they impact public perception and behavior.

A well-known characteristic of political scandals is that they often arise from polarization. Politicians and other actors with power have incentives to manipulate what is framed as a scandal in order to influence public debate and smear competitors. The more extreme the ideological split between parties is, the more the aligned party will try to protect its politician from accusations of misconduct and the opposing side will be willing to throw baseless accusations at him or her.

In addition, the way a political scandal is reported in the media has a large influence on its perceived seriousness and legitimacy. For example, experiments show that when a news item is about a small norm transgression, people tend to evaluate the scandal as less serious than when it involves a larger sum of money.

What is Political Asylum?

Political asylum is a form of protection granted by host countries to people who are fleeing persecution or fear of persecution in their home country on the basis of one of five protected grounds: race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. People seeking asylum typically do so because they cannot return safely to their home country, due to violence, poverty, or other factors. In FY 2024, USCIS found 70,549 people to have a credible fear of persecution.

People can apply for asylum either affirmatively through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or defensively through an immigration judge in removal proceedings. Defensive applications are growing at a rate of fivefold, according to TRAC, and they have surpassed affirmative asylum cases since 2014.

The government can grant or deny asylum, but it is required under international law not to return someone to a situation where their life or safety would be in danger (the principle of non-refoulement). This means that the U.S. must be willing to offer safe haven to everyone who comes to its borders or territory seeking asylum, regardless of whether they are arriving at a port of entry or are already in the United States.

But asylum laws and policies are complicated, and they change from time to time, reflecting the priorities of different presidential administrations. As a result, many people are confused about how to proceed and are stuck in lengthy backlogs. Ultimately, though, a person’s legal status does not fully capture who they are as a child, teacher, artist, parent, football fan, or any other human being.

Foreign Policy and Public Expectations

As the world’s strongest military power and largest economy, the United States has outsized influence. Its foreign policy has to balance its own national security and economic interests with democratic values and complex relationships across the globe. It must also keep pace with evolving global challenges and threats, such as climate change, pandemics, terrorism, or the threat of nuclear proliferation.

The goal of foreign policy is to shape and manage a country’s interactions with other countries, using diplomatic, economic, and military tools. Developing and maintaining diplomatic relations, negotiating trade agreements, and offering development assistance are key areas of foreign policy. So are addressing global issues and securing the country’s role in international organisations, such as the UN or the International Monetary Fund. Many countries also have specialised teams that monitor international events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or a country’s deteriorating human rights situation.

A large part of a government’s foreign policy is managing the public’s expectations and priorities. This year’s Datapraxis poll found that a plurality of Britons prioritise promoting UK national interests, followed by addressing immediate humanitarian concerns. A smaller number, however, think that the UK’s top priority should be supporting other nations’ long-term development.

What is a Parliamentary Vote?

A parliamentary vote is the procedure by which a legislative body votes on legislation. This system of voting is used in a number of countries across the world that have a parliamentary model for their government structure.

Parliamentary systems often combine the functions of the executive and legislative branch in one person, known as a Prime Minister. This individual, who leads the Cabinet, has a powerful veto over legislation that is passed by the legislature. Many parliamentary systems also have a specialized constitutional court with the ability to review laws and declare them unconstitutional.

During an election, each voter marks a cross on their ballot paper to choose their preferred candidate in each electoral district, called a constituency. The candidate with the most votes in a constituency is elected as an MP. Elections are usually held every five years. When an MP dies or retires, a by-election is held to replace them.

Most parliamentary systems use first-past-the-post voting to elect Members of Parliament. However, some — including the United Kingdom and Australia — use Single Transferable Vote (STV) to elect their members. This system counts a voter’s first preference and then transfers any second preferences to other candidates until the quota is reached.

Some parliamentary systems require a supermajority vote for dissolving the parliament or for passing certain types of legislation. While this has been successful in breaking deadlocks in the past, it can be circumvented through the enactment of an Act bypassing these requirements.

Election Results and Public Trust

Election results determine winners and losers in electoral contests, and are the basis for allocating seats in many electoral systems. They also provide the evidence that supports or undermines citizens’ trust in the fairness of the electoral process. For this reason, it is essential that elections be held in a way that can be trusted and verified by the public, including by election observers and the media.

Achieving this goal requires that election officials be transparent in their communications with the public about when election results will be final and certified. This includes announcing unofficial results on election night, and providing information to the public about the various steps that must take place before that happens (e.g., counting of ballots, canvassing, a recount, and certification). It is also important that the media and other sources be factual and balanced in their reporting on the election, rather than exaggerating or sensationalizing headlines.

Previous research has shown that electoral expectations are influenced by partisan biases, and that disconfirmation is jointly influenced by one’s expectation or forecast (link 1.a) and the outcome of the election (link 1.b). A disappointing outcome will lead to lower satisfaction with democracy, but the exact nature of this response will depend on the magnitude of the surprise and voters’ perceptions of how well their expectations were met. For example, if an unexpected result leads to greater satisfaction with democracy than expected, it may reduce perceived electoral integrity but not the desire for electoral reform.

What is a UN Resolution?

A UN resolution is a formal expression of the opinion or will of a UN body. Resolutions are written and approved through a lengthy, complicated process in which multiple countries participate; they must be adopted by a majority of the members of a particular body. Resolutions follow a very specific format and are usually published online.

This resolution spelled out the boundaries for the two states of Israel and Palestine: the Jewish state would contain 56% of Mandate Palestine and the Arab state 40%, with Jerusalem being protected as a holy site in both states. The resolution also set out requirements for both states, including respect for minorities and free access to holy sites.

General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, but they can create a framework that helps guide future negotiations on issues involving the Security Council or other UN bodies. A resolution can be passed by a simple majority (more yes votes than no votes) or, if the Assembly determines that it is an “important question,” it requires a two-thirds majority of the full membership.

A similar type of formal action is a decision, which deals with procedural matters such as elections, appointments and the time and place of meetings, and the taking of note of reports. Decisions and resolutions of subsidiary bodies are normally incorporated in the report of the body to its parent organ.

Understanding Public Policy

Public policy affects every aspect of our lives, which is why it is often the subject of controversy and debate. It is a broad domain that encompasses government laws, rules, and regulations, as well as the way governments spend money and regulate the economy. The affirmative team will typically present a specific plan that fits within the resolution in question, and then argue why it is the best option for the future of the country or world. The negative team will question whether the alleged harms from the status quo are really serious, or suggest alternatives to the plan that might work better in this context.

The first step to understanding public policy is to understand the process through which they are formulated. This is a complicated process involving many different stakeholders and is influenced by social and economic conditions, the prevailing political values, and the structure of government.

There are five pathologies that are particular to complex public policy, and these are what make them so difficult to manage. These pathologies are why even policies that have the best intentions and the best experts, and do not suffer from corruption or incompetence, tend to fail.

To combat these pathologies, it is important to understand what the research says about the problem and how it might be solved. Implications are the effects that the research suggests might occur, and recommendations are the next steps that the research recommends. It is important to draw a clear line between your implications and your recommendations, because you want to be sure that your audience can see the link between your research and the action that you recommend they take.

What is the Stock Market?

The stock market distributes ownership of some of the world’s largest companies among hundreds of millions of individual investors, whose buying and selling decisions determine their value. It is also the place where funding for technological advances like smartphones and medications flows, largely from investors who expect to profit from them.

In this massive network of trading, shares of publicly-owned companies are bought and sold, often via brokers who facilitate transactions almost instantly. People looking to buy a share find matches with sellers, and prices are constantly negotiated (and renegotiated) in response to new information and to supply and demand. These processes, involving buyers and sellers who are all making their own unique and rational decisions, produce a wildly complex system of trading that’s monitored by global agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission in the U.S. and FINRA in Canada, which are charged with protecting retail investors.

While we may think of the “stock market” as a single entity, it’s actually composed of two distinct parts: exchanges where shares are traded and indexes that track and report on their performance. We typically refer to the Dow Jones Industrial Average or S&P 500 when we talk about the broader market, but there are many others that are country- or region-specific. Some indexes are even sector-specific, reporting on a particular industry like technology or health care. Understanding these different components of the market is essential to knowing how it works, and why its movements matter to us.

What Is Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?

GDP measures the monetary value of all the goods and services produced in a country during a certain period of time, typically a year. It includes both market and nonmarket production, such as government spending on defense or education. GDP is an important metric for countries, businesses and individuals. Economists use it to assess a country’s economic health and understand the economy’s cycles. It is also used to compare economies and predict future growth.

The official definition of GDP is determined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It defines production as the sum of gross domestic product by final consumption, investment, and net exports at market prices. The consumption method of calculating GDP does not account for business-to-business transactions, and therefore it is less sensitive to economic fluctuations than metrics that include all transactions.

One criticism of GDP is that it focuses on material output, without considering the impact to citizens’ well-being. For example, an increase in GDP may come at the cost of air pollution or inequality. It also does not fully take into account quality improvements or new products, as they are only reflected in GDP in their monetary value.

However, most economists agree that GDP is a good indicator of overall economic progress. It is closely followed by analysts, investors, and policymakers. The advance release of GDP is often anticipated and can move markets, although the impact is usually limited since GDP data is backward-looking.

How to Write Headlines That Get Readers’ Attention

A headline is a chance to grab attention and give readers a reason to click through. It’s also one of the first things a reader will see on search engines and social media. While many long-time newspaper people have their methods and rituals, it’s worth taking a look at the top headlines of your competition to see what works.

A good headline is short and snappy. Use capital letters for the first word and proper nouns, but drop helping words like articles (a, an, the) and conjunctions (and, but, or). Write in present tense and avoid past-tense phrases. A headline that makes people do a double-take is another way to catch the eye, but it must be true.

Consider using interrogatives in headlines, like why or how. Just be careful to balance this with the need for clear explanations.

A good headline is short and snappy — but it needs to be clear enough for your readers, who have shorter attention spans than ever. Headlines aren’t just for display; they’re also source material for search engines, so try to pack in keywords that your audience is likely to type into a search. These will appear in bold and will help readers find the story when they’re searching.