Nicholas Spina
Biographic Data
| ID | 3797686 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nicholas Spina |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nicholas |
| FAMILY NAME | Spina |
| SIGNATURE | SPINA N |
| AFFILIATIONS | Edgewood College |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3816-1267 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 8 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 21 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 8 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Partisanship and generalized trust in response to the 2016 U.S. presidential election
Election outcomes often produce winner-loser gaps in political attitudes. However, existing research has largely overlooked the relationship between election outcomes and generalized trust. This article explores the impact of electoral loss on how partisan losers view the trustworthiness of the general public. I test this question with panel data collected before and after the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The results indicate that the only gr…
Threats to national security and public support for integration
This study explores how the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh influences Armenians’ attitudes toward competing European- and Russian-led integration blocs. I focus on public reactions to a recent episode of violence - the four-day war in April 2016 - and why the clash may have increased the likelihood of support for (1) security integration (with NATO and the CSTO) rather than economic integration (with the EU and the EEU) and (2) joint relations wi…
Out-migration, social capital and the cooperative dilemma
This study examines the effects of out-migration on social capital in sending communities. I first conceptualise social capital as the presence of social trust and engagement at the individual-level of analysis. Drawing from established theories of cooperation, I then argue that subnational out-migration acts as a structural-level signal that changes people’s incentives to trust others and engage in social activities. I use the current migration …
The Religious Authority of the Orthodox Church and Tolerance Toward Homosexuality
This article considers how institutional differences among Orthodox Churches in Central and Eastern Europe affect mass attitudes about homosexuality. Drawing from literature on elite framing, I posit that the Orthodox Church frames opposition to homosexuality in religious terms and offers cues to its members on how to think about non-traditional sexuality. However, the credibility of religious institutions dictates the influence of framing. When …
Decentralisation and political participation
A major justification for bringing government “closer to the people” is that it improves the opportunities for and frequency of citizen participation in the political system. This article first reviews the major arguments for decentralisation and why it is credited with increasing participation. I then perform statistical analyses in 22 states with country-level decentralisation data and public opinion data drawn from the 2006 European Social Sur…
Civil Society Aid to Post-communist Countries
A major debate within foreign aid literature is whether civil society can be ‘purchased’ through outside assistance. We test this proposition by exploring the influence of aid provided by the United States Agency for International Development on post-communist civil rights environments. A review of research critical of international assistance highlights the risk of unsustainability, polarization and dependence among recipient civic organizations…
Explaining political decentralization in parliamentary democracies
Confucianism and Democracy
The debate over the future of East Asian democracy centers largely on the fit between democratic values and the Confucian way of life. Some interpret Confucianism's hierarchical, communitarian, and anti-pluralistic values as a roadblock to democratic consolidation. Others interpret the Confucian traditions of dissent and accountability as comparable to liberal institutions. This article surveys this scholarly debate by dividing the literature int…
Decentralisation and political participation
A major justification for bringing government “closer to the people” is that it improves the opportunities for and frequency of citizen participation in the political system. This article first reviews the major arguments for decentralisation and why it is credited with increasing participation. I then perform statistical analyses in 22 states with country-level decentralisation data and public opinion data drawn from the 2006 European Social Sur…
The Religious Authority of the Orthodox Church and Tolerance Toward Homosexuality
This article considers how institutional differences among Orthodox Churches in Central and Eastern Europe affect mass attitudes about homosexuality. Drawing from literature on elite framing, I posit that the Orthodox Church frames opposition to homosexuality in religious terms and offers cues to its members on how to think about non-traditional sexuality. However, the credibility of religious institutions dictates the influence of framing. When …
Partisanship and generalized trust in response to the 2016 U.S. presidential election
Election outcomes often produce winner-loser gaps in political attitudes. However, existing research has largely overlooked the relationship between election outcomes and generalized trust. This article explores the impact of electoral loss on how partisan losers view the trustworthiness of the general public. I test this question with panel data collected before and after the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The results indicate that the only gr…
Explaining political decentralization in parliamentary democracies
Threats to national security and public support for integration
This study explores how the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh influences Armenians’ attitudes toward competing European- and Russian-led integration blocs. I focus on public reactions to a recent episode of violence - the four-day war in April 2016 - and why the clash may have increased the likelihood of support for (1) security integration (with NATO and the CSTO) rather than economic integration (with the EU and the EEU) and (2) joint relations wi…
Out-migration, social capital and the cooperative dilemma
This study examines the effects of out-migration on social capital in sending communities. I first conceptualise social capital as the presence of social trust and engagement at the individual-level of analysis. Drawing from established theories of cooperation, I then argue that subnational out-migration acts as a structural-level signal that changes people’s incentives to trust others and engage in social activities. I use the current migration …
Civil Society Aid to Post-communist Countries
A major debate within foreign aid literature is whether civil society can be ‘purchased’ through outside assistance. We test this proposition by exploring the influence of aid provided by the United States Agency for International Development on post-communist civil rights environments. A review of research critical of international assistance highlights the risk of unsustainability, polarization and dependence among recipient civic organizations…
Confucianism and Democracy
The debate over the future of East Asian democracy centers largely on the fit between democratic values and the Confucian way of life. Some interpret Confucianism's hierarchical, communitarian, and anti-pluralistic values as a roadblock to democratic consolidation. Others interpret the Confucian traditions of dissent and accountability as comparable to liberal institutions. This article surveys this scholarly debate by dividing the literature int…
Explaining political decentralization in parliamentary democracies
Decentralisation and political participation
A major justification for bringing government “closer to the people” is that it improves the opportunities for and frequency of citizen participation in the political system. This article first reviews the major arguments for decentralisation and why it is credited with increasing participation. I then perform statistical analyses in 22 states with country-level decentralisation data and public opinion data drawn from the 2006 European Social Sur…
Civil Society Aid to Post-communist Countries
A major debate within foreign aid literature is whether civil society can be ‘purchased’ through outside assistance. We test this proposition by exploring the influence of aid provided by the United States Agency for International Development on post-communist civil rights environments. A review of research critical of international assistance highlights the risk of unsustainability, polarization and dependence among recipient civic organizations…
The Religious Authority of the Orthodox Church and Tolerance Toward Homosexuality
This article considers how institutional differences among Orthodox Churches in Central and Eastern Europe affect mass attitudes about homosexuality. Drawing from literature on elite framing, I posit that the Orthodox Church frames opposition to homosexuality in religious terms and offers cues to its members on how to think about non-traditional sexuality. However, the credibility of religious institutions dictates the influence of framing. When …
Out-migration, social capital and the cooperative dilemma
This study examines the effects of out-migration on social capital in sending communities. I first conceptualise social capital as the presence of social trust and engagement at the individual-level of analysis. Drawing from established theories of cooperation, I then argue that subnational out-migration acts as a structural-level signal that changes people’s incentives to trust others and engage in social activities. I use the current migration …
Threats to national security and public support for integration
This study explores how the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh influences Armenians’ attitudes toward competing European- and Russian-led integration blocs. I focus on public reactions to a recent episode of violence - the four-day war in April 2016 - and why the clash may have increased the likelihood of support for (1) security integration (with NATO and the CSTO) rather than economic integration (with the EU and the EEU) and (2) joint relations wi…
Partisanship and generalized trust in response to the 2016 U.S. presidential election
Election outcomes often produce winner-loser gaps in political attitudes. However, existing research has largely overlooked the relationship between election outcomes and generalized trust. This article explores the impact of electoral loss on how partisan losers view the trustworthiness of the general public. I test this question with panel data collected before and after the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The results indicate that the only gr…
Political science (8 works) · Law (7 works) · Economics (6 works) · Law (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Political economy (5 works) · Politics (5 works) · Public Administration (5 works) · Public Administration (5 works) · Development economics (3 works)