Where and why can expatriates vote in regional elections? A comparative analysis of regional electoral practices in Europe and North America

ABSTRACT

The article constitutes the first systematic attempt to survey and account for the enfranchisement of non-resident citizens in regional elections. Shifting the focus away from the state to the regional demos, it is divided into two parts. First, it examines whether the spectacular horizontal diffusion of external voting legislation widely observed in existing scholarship has also spread vertically to regional elections, through a comparative overview of the conditions of eligibility to the regional franchise in 292 American and European regions. The remarkable diversity of regional electoral arrangements both within and across states calls for a more in-depth explanatory analysis of the ‘micro-foundations of diaspora policy’ in specific regions. The second part thus compares two negative cases, Flanders and Scotland, where expanding the franchise to expatriates has been seriously considered and yet ultimately failed. It goes on to examine the frustrated outcome in the light of three dimensions of the political opportunity structure: whether the region has the power to alter the composition of the demos (self-determination powers), the expected electoral gains and losses among political parties within the regional party system (electoral interests), and the (in)compatibility of extending the suffrage to expatriates with the pursuit of autonomy goals (self-determination aims).     

外籍人士的浙江叙事——跨文化传播文本解读

在浙外籍人士关于浙江及其所在城市的叙事是跨文化交流中较为蕴蓄的存在形式.本文以后经典叙事学为研究路径,解析在浙外籍人士多样的叙事方式,并从三方面阐释外籍人士跨文化传播文本的叙事策略:叙事声音、叙事语法和叙事结构,探讨外籍人士作为文化“他者”的叙事建构,指出外籍人士的叙事本身就是一种宣传,其隐性的传播效应需要合理的利用和把握.     

Strangers in a Strange Land: Shock,Disappointment, and Adjustments Experiences of Expatriates in Central Asia

Increasing globalization is driving an increase in diversity and interaction. A more mobile and international workforce frequently requires that individuals try to understand the norms of their “new” society. This paper provides a preliminary exploration of the types of issues and concerns raised by expatriates working in a new foreign environment. In particular, the paper uses a hybrid survey/interview methodology to identify specific issues raised by expatriates working in Kazakhstan, Central Asia.

Headquarters′ monitoring mechanisms,subsidiaries’ financial slack,and the contingent role of subsidiaries′ external embeddedness

Within MNCs’ foreign subsidiaries financial slack, i.e., uncommitted financial resources in excess of those needed for current operations, may incur costs for headquarters. These costs may emanate from subsidiaries' decision to forego investment opportunities and stockpile cash instead, which, in turn, may lead to fewer resources being available for redistribution within the organization. From an agency theory perspective, headquarters can minimize these costs through monitoring mechanisms. While agency theory is considered theoretically appropriate for the study of the headquarters-subsidiary relationship, it reflects a rather undersocialized manifestation of human behaviour, which in turn limits its applicability. In this paper, we attempt to address this limitation by suggesting and empirically exploring that the effect of monitoring mechanisms is dependent (1) on the different types of monitoring used, and (2) on subsidiaries' external embeddedness. Drawing on empirical evidence from 94 subsidiaries of foreign multinationals operating in Greece, we provide some initial evidence on the differential impact of monitoring through expatriates and monitoring through bureaucratic processes. Most importantly, we show that subsidiaries' structural embeddedness moderates both associations. In doing so, we reveal that whether subsidiaries behave opportunistically or as good citizens is partially determined by the social context in which they are embedded. An unexpected finding concerns the positive effect of the origin of the CEO on subsidiaries' financial slack for expatriates compared to local managers. This finding underscores the importance of the CEO identity, and highlights the need for future research exploring its effect on subsidiaries' performance.     

International adjustment of Brazilian expatriates in the United States of America

The adjustment of expatriates to host countries has been identified as a determinant of their success in international assignments. The literature on expatriates is largely based on cases of expatriates from developed economies; however, given the current global market scenario, companies from developing countries are also assigning expatriates to international assignments. The purpose of this study was to understand the international adjustment of Brazilian expatriates working for Brazilian multinational subsidiaries in the United States of America (USA). The study used an exploratory approach of in-depth interviews with open-ended questions conducted with 11 Brazilian expatriates working for 11 different Brazilian multinationals in the USA. The contributions of this study are twofold: (1) exploration of the adjustment perspectives of expatriates of Brazilian multinational companies, and (2) exploration of the effects of variables from the USA context, as host country, on the international adjustment of expatriates. Findings show that Brazilian expatriates perceived that rules and laws of the USA had a great effect on their international adjustment, while cross-cultural differences influenced leadership styles and interpersonal relationship.     

Performing Expatriate Mobilities in Kuala Lumpur

Research focusing upon expatriates in Asia has been geographically sporadic in nature and has typically centered upon those based in China, Hong Kong or Singapore. Focusing on Kuala Lumpur this research analyses the experiences of expatriates via the notion of automobilty by critically observing their preferred modes of travel and the importance their car journeys play in overcoming problems in Malaysia. While a growing body of research has centered on expatriates’ integration into new surroundings, these themes have predominantly observed career motivations and progression, coping mechanisms and the neocolonialism of space. The significance of the decisions made by expatriates regarding how they travel and commute in their new surroundings have been noticeably overlooked. Indeed, the findings of this paper reveal that particular modes of transport are often intrinsic tools in terms of mitigating negative environmental sensations and uncomfortable social encounters. Moreover, it is observed that transportation choices afford some expatriates exclusive opportunities to encounter Malaysia. For others however, transportation preferences lead to a new range of frustrations that were often alien to their experiences back home.