Work package 18 - New Technologies and Political Preferences: The Electoral Compass

Description

This workpackage, the responsibility of KIESKOMPAS, utilises data on user issue preferences and party positions. These data will be analysed using advanced statistical techniques such as multi-level modelling. Tasks: 1. Develop literature review, research question and research design; 2. Analyse available data employing advanced quantitative techniques and experimental techniques 3. Issue final report; 4. Produce research paper for submission; 5. Undertake training in key methodologies and complementary skills.

Details

Lead partner institution

Kieskompas

Start and end dates

1 May 2010 - 30 April 2011

Experienced Researcher (ER)

Matthew Wall

My thesis title for my Ph.D in Political Science was ‘A Comparative Study of Africa’s Multiparty Systems’. I submitted in July 2010, my supervisor at Trinity College Dublin was Prof. Ken Benoit. Between 2006 - 2007 I succesfully studied for two Postgraduate Diplomas. The first in International Business Development at the Dublin Institute of Technology. The second in Statistics, with distinction, from Trinity College, Dublin.

My research interests are electoral systems and party systems, African politics, the internet and politics, quantitative methods, institutional design and reform. Issues raised in my current research position: How do we interpret the input of users into Electoral Assistance websites? Is it comparable to survey data, is it systematically biased in terms of demographics and political views of respondents? Can it provide information on supporters of small parties, the effects of political campaigns, and the role of ideological considerations in party support? Do voter assistance sites give advice that corresponds to voters’ stated voting preferences?

My work experience includes:

• June 2009 – Present: Dáil Eireann (Irish Parliament), All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution. Rapporteur to the Committee for module on electoral system reform for Irish parliamentary elections.
• October 2008 – July 2010: Trinity College Dublin. Lecturer: ‘Introduction to the Social Sciences (Political Science Module)’
• From October 2009: Trinity College Dublin. Seminar convenor and website administrator: ‘Introduction to Political Science, Broad Curriculum’
• October 2005 – July 2009: Trinity College Dublin. Teaching Assistant – Introduction to Political Science; Contemporary Political Theory.
• December 2008 – June 2009: Kieskompas. Member of the Irish team of ‘EU Profiler’ project, coding Irish party positions for voting advice application/party profiling website for the 2009 European Elections online at: http://euprofiler.eu/
• June 2007 – November 2007: Trinity College Dublin. Irish Candidate Survey project coordinator in the Comparative Candidate Studies Project (CCSP). Survey design, implementation, distribution and coding. Principal Investigator - Professor Michael Marsh, TCD.
• May 2007 – October 2007: Research Assistant to Professor Michael Marsh. Building and annotating a bibliography in EndNote format on EU elections viewed as ‘second order’ elections, for ‘Living Review in EU Governance’ project.
• May 2007 – July 2007: Co-creator of ‘pickyourparty.ie’: The first voter assistance application site in the Republic of Ireland.
• January 2006 – July 2007: Research Assistant to Dr. Robert Thomson: Funded by the Institute for International Integration Studies (IIIS) research involved constructing original datasets on compliance of EU member states with a series of directives and on the negotiating positions of member states in Council discussions of a subset of those directives.
• November 2006 -December 2006: Research Assistant to Professor Kenneth Benoit. Compiling an annotated Endnote library on all publications pertaining to Duverger’s Law.