Thesis
The decentralization game : leaders' speeches and what characteristics determine their position on decentralization
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2023
- Thesis identifier
- T16660
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 201873694
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- How do party leaders manage their position over sub-national identity? Thus, how do party leaders manage the number of MPs from the party in government from territories with high sub-national identity, intra-party, the number of MPs from the ethno-regionalist parties, inter-party, the audience where the speech is done, the Parliament and the party conference, and the influence of an independence referendum in their speeches position about decentralization? In countries with multilevel institutions, intra-party groups and ethno-regionalist parties with different sub-national identities coexist, and these differences likely hold importance for parties and leaders. Also, the different audiences and venues, influence the leaders’ speech position when referring to decentralization. In this thesis, I study how leaders change their speech when they speak in front of other MPs in front of their party members and supporters. Furthermore, I examine how independence referendums affect leaders’ positions on the same topic. How the referendum changes the leaders’ perception and position on decentralization? In this dissertation, I argue that MPs elected from high sub-national identity territories, the state-wide parties branches MPs from the same territories, the different audiences, and the independence referendums influence the position leaders take over the issue of decentralization. I use an original dataset of speeches from the Spanish and UK parliaments, investiture and Queen’s speeches, specifically, and from the party conferences in Spain and the United Kingdom to position leaders’ speeches on decentralization. I developed a decentralization scale to predict the leaders’ positions using automated text analysis method Wordscores. The results demonstrate that the number of MPs, the audience, and having an independence referendum do influence and position the national party leader’s speeches on decentralization. These implications have different connotations in the United Kingdom and Spain. These results impact the studies on decentralization, intra-party discussion, and independence referendums. Moreover, I contribute to the study of speeches and quantitative text analysis using manifestos mentions on decentralization, analyzing the different speeches venues, and stating that a relevant political event, such as the independence referendum, modifies national leaders’ positions on decentralization.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Greene, Zachary
- Resource Type
- DOI
- Alternative Title
- The decentralization game : leaders' speeches and what characteristics determine their position on decentralisation
Relations
Items
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Visibility | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
PDF of Thesis T16660 | 2023-08-08 | Public | Download |