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Migration is not a new phenomenon, although last decades of migration and the reasons behind why people migrate might differ from previous years. This has brought a problem to light, a problem which might put the whole legitimacy aspect of representative democracy out of play. Studies have shown that immigrants in different places around have less activity in electoral participation compared to native citizens. Recently researchers and theorists with Ann Phillips being the front figure of politics of presence, have argued for descriptive representation to increase the electoral participation among immigrants. Thus, this study aims to examine the relation of electoral participation among immigrants and the descriptive representation of immigrants in municipal level by implementing a comparative case study. Furthermore, this study examines what existing literature presents as evidence which can explain the results found in the comparative case study. This study finds that although there is a correlation between descriptive representation and voter turnout among immigrants, it cannot alone explain the difference in the variation found. The results of the case study show a variety of answers that explains the variation of electoral participation. Ranging from politics, citizenship, and native country as an answer, to descriptive representation. In conclusion the results of the scoping study finds that substantial representation as an answer is rarely found in research papers, and that further studies need to take that factor in the calculation when examining which reasons might lie behind promoting immigrants’ electoral participation.

I cover three topics in empirical microeconomics. In the first chapter, titled Investor Attention to Firm versus Market-wide Information Shocks: Evidence from North Korean Missile Tests, I study whether attention towards salient political events leads to underutilization of firm-specific information in the South Korean stock market. I find that companies with earnings surprises in the top quartile experience a 1.6% increase in the abnormal return on the announcement day, but a same-day missile test takes away 70% of the positive response. In the second chapter, titled Does Cultural Proximity Mitigate the Effect of Immigration on Electoral Outcomes? (with Gerard Domènech), we study the effect of immigration on electoral outcomes using individual-level administrative data in Spain. In a multiple instrumentations framework, we find that recent immigrants who arrived within two years are associated with an increase in the vote share of the extremist parties. Such an effect persists for additional two years but dissipates in the long-term. When split by regions of origin, African immigrants have the greatest impact, followed by Latin American immigrants. European immigrants do not affect the extremist vote shares. An analysis of the unemployment rate and the number of children suggests that immigrants tend to assimilate over time. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that cultural proximity mitigates the political reaction to immigrants. In the third chapter, titled The Effect of Daddy Quota on Gender Labor Market Outcomes (with Petra Niedermeyerova), we study the impact of a father-specific parental leave policy on labor market outcomes in Quebec, Canada. Using a province-level difference-in-difference approach, we find that the so-called daddy quota increases the probability of employment for women and decreases the wage of younger men. The results suggest that the daddy quota promoted equal opportunities for women in the labor market. In a theoretical framework, we show that policy-driven changes in gender norms are consistent with our findings.

A growing alienation of citizens from politics is a current challenge to many modern democracies. Citizen participation is vital for democracy and engaging citizens becomes a central question within political science. At the same time the use of voting advice applications (VAAs) has increased steadily, particularly popular among young voters. This increasing usage indicates that VAAs fulfil young people’s needs, but what these needs are is unknown. To analyse what functions VAAs have for young voters, this study utilises data from interviews with high school students conducted after the Swedish Elections 2022. Furthermore, research on VAAs has focused on some aspects of voting behaviour such as their impact on citizens’ likelihood to vote. Relatively under-researched remain questions concerning VAAs and other forms of latent engagement with politics, such as deliberation over politics. This thesis seeks to examine these behaviours associated with VAA-use addressing young citizens in particular. The study finds that young people use VAAs with serious intentions to find political guidance. Moreover, VAAs can trigger deliberation over politics, but mainly during the election campaign.

This research analyzes the political and social engagement of UCF College of Business students in order to grasp a better understanding of what youth engagement looks like in the 21st century. Through the implementation of a survey, data is collected on the level of students' social involvement, political participation, and civic engagement – the three vital metrics of citizen engagement. These metrics are then split across the online and offline realm, as well as across key demographics of race, gender identity, political ideology, and party affiliation. Data is also collected about which social media platforms students engage most on, allowing us to understand what demographics of students are participating in society and where they are doing so.

Latinos in the United States are a diverse group, and their growing presence and recent elections illustrate the importance of understanding and recognizing their distinct political identities. The political identity of Cuban immigrants has been understood as being an anomaly among Latino groups and is largely referred to as an outlier in research of Latin American immigration. The intent of this thesis is to explore the question of why some Latin American immigrants relate to a greater Latino identity. Linked fate is identified as a relevant concept that addresses the formation of group identity. From the literature, transnational connections and period of arrival are expected to be determinant factors in an individual's perception of linked fate. A logistical regression analysis is conducted with data from the 2006 Latino National Survey, and the results suggest that both transnational ties and immigration generation are positive predictors for linked fate. The thesis concludes by finding similarities with linked fate predictors in past studies and suggests that several similarities exist between Cubans and other ethnic groups regarding linked fate.

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Research shows that human facial and vocal features influence social perceptions of attractiveness and dominance. In general, more feminine facial and vocal features are perceived as more attractive in women and more masculine facial and vocal features are perceived as more attractive in men. More masculine facial and vocal features are generally perceived as more dominant in both women and men. Given that attractiveness and dominance closely relate to inter- and intra-sexual selection, respectively, and that leaders can influence an individual’s fitness, humans likely possess evolved mechanisms for assessing leadership ability. Thus, in prior work, facial and vocal features have been related to perceptions of leadership ability. In this dissertation, I address three previously unanswered questions. First, how do vocal acoustics influence perceptions of leaders and voting preferences? Second, how do vocal acoustics influence perceptions of leaders in different social contexts? Third, how do different methods of stimuli presentation influence the results of studies on face and voice perception? Herein, I demonstrate that participants prefer to vote for lower pitched men’s voices, and that it is unclear precisely how women’s voice pitch influences voting preferences. I also show that the influence of voice pitch on perceptions of leaders depends on the social context. Third, I establish that several methods of stimuli presentation are equally valid to use in studies on face and voice perception. Overall, the studies in this dissertation demonstrate that facial and vocal features influence perceptions of attractiveness, dominance, and leadership ability in a potentially adaptive manner. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Proponents claim that the convenience of early voting increases voter turnout by reducing the time and effort to vote through expanded opportunities for participation beyond "traditional" in-person voting at polling places on election day. Yet, anecdotal evidence suggests that reforms intended to make the voting process easier do not have the same effect throughout the electorate. Instead, early voting is likely to exacerbate the lack of ability to meaningfully participate in the electoral process for those particularly vulnerable to the costs of voting. Fundamentally, early voting requires access to postal services to receive and return an early ballot by-mail, as well as the ability to travel to an early in-person voting site. The irregular mail delivery operations and long traveling distances common throughout Indian Country suggests that systems of early voting lack viability on reservation lands. This research asks how the costs of voting for Native Americans affects their participation in systems of early voting. To investigate this relationship, I elucidate the social, economic, cultural, political, and geographic factors that render political participation more difficult for Native Americans. By comparing voter turnout in the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections among reservation voters on the Navajo Nation to non-reservation voters in Apache, Navajo, and Coconino counties in Arizona, I find that reservation voters prefer to vote in-person on election day while non-reservation voters prefer to vote early. I also find that early voting turnout among reservation voters increased between 2012 and 2016, however, further analysis demonstrated that turnout was higher in reservation precincts with greater access to postal services. These findings illuminate our knowledge of the convenience of early voting and add to our specific understanding of the factors that affect Native American political participation. / Master of Arts / Early voting has become a popular alternative to the civic tradition of voting in-person at polling places on election day. During the 2016 presidential election, millions of American voters cast their ballots early, either by-mail or at early voting sites. These expanded opportunities for participation allow voters to avoid the hassle of large crowds and restrictive hours at the polls. Proponents claim that by making the voting process easier, early voting also increases voter turnout, yet anecdotal evidence suggests that the convenience of early voting is not enjoyed equally by all voters. Instead, Native American voters are at a likely disadvantage with regard to early voting due to the irregular mail delivery operations and long traveling distances common on reservation lands. Of course, access to mail and transportation are required to vote by-mail and early in-person. This research asks how the costs of voting for Native Americans affects their participation in systems of early voting. To investigate this question, I examine the costs of voting and voter turnout for reservation voters on the Navajo Nation compared to non-reservation voters in Apache, Navajo, and Coconino counties in Arizona. I find that political participation manifests differently for both groups; reservation voters prefer to vote in-person on election day and non-reservation voters prefer to vote early. Although it was significantly higher among non-reservation voters, early voting turnout increased among reservation voters between the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections. However, further analysis demonstrated that turnout is affected by proximity to post offices or other postal service providers. These findings suggest that Native American political participation is made more difficult by social, economic, cultural, political, and geographic barriers and that reforms to make the voting process easier do not reduce these costs of voting.

Cette thèse utilise trois méthodes qualitatives (étude de la portée - scoping review -, entretiens semi-dirigés et analyse de contenu qualitative) et pour explorer comment les organisations prennent en considération les demandes des parties prenantes en lien avec le développement durable et comment ces demandes façonnent les actions des organisations. Cette thèse de doctorat se concentre sur deux mécanismes de gouvernance et de consultation qui relient les parties prenantes et les organisations : 1) le vote par procuration (proxy voting) en tant que stratégie d'engagement actionnarial dans un contexte d'investissement responsable; et 2) l'implication des parties prenantes dans l'évaluation de l'importance relative (materiality) dans un contexte de rapport de développement durable. Ces deux sujets sont liés parce que les praticiens de l'investissement responsable prennent leurs décisions sur les questions extrafinancières en fonction des informations communiquées par les organisations, notamment par les rapports de développement durable. L'exploration de l'investissement responsable et des rapports de développement durable apporte deux angles différents, mais qui ensemble contribuent à mieux comprendre la manière dont les parties prenantes influencent les actions des organisations vers des pratiques plus durables. La thèse comprend trois chapitres qui doivent être considérés comme un tout. Le premier chapitre repose sur une étude de la portée et aborde la question suivante : que sait-on du vote par procuration en tant que stratégie d'engagement des actionnaires par les investisseurs institutionnels dans l'intégration des facteurs environnementaux, sociaux et de gouvernance (ESG)? Cette étude de la portée permet également d'identifier certaines lacunes de la littérature. Le deuxième chapitre apporte des éléments de réponse à la question suivante : quels défis les praticiens de l'investissement responsable rencontrent-ils dans l'intégration de la durabilité par le biais du vote par procuration? À partir d'entrevues menées avec 36 praticiens de l'investissement responsable et de l'engagement actionnarial, cette étude (à paraître dans la revue Corporate Governance : An International Review) décrit et analyse les processus sociaux complexes qui sous-tendent les choix de ces praticiens. Le dernier chapitre de cette thèse explore la façon dont les organisations répondent aux demandes croissantes de divulgation extrafinancière. Cette analyse de contenu qualitative (actuellement en révision dans Accounting Forum) conduit à l'identification de la prédominance de l'utilisation de méthodes d'engagement indirectes (p. ex. : sondage, analyse médiatique) de la part des représentants des organisations envers les parties prenantes. Les approches néo-institutionnelles et celles des façades organisationnelles sont mobilisées dans cette thèse. En somme, cette thèse vise à ouvrir « la boîte noire » sur la façon dont les parties prenantes et leurs différentes préoccupations à l'égard du développement durable influencent et façonnent les actions des organisations. Elle apporte quatre contributions principales : 1) cartographier des éléments de la littérature scientifique sur le vote par procuration comme stratégie d'engagement actionnarial; 2) construire un programme de recherche sur le vote par procuration en tant que stratégie d'engagement actionnarial; 3) identifier les défis dans l'intégration de facteurs ESG dans le vote par procuration; et 4) ajouter des éléments d'analyse relativement aux divulgations en lien avec l'implication des parties prenantes dans l'évaluation de l'importance relative. De façon générale, cette thèse montre que, même si les grands défis auxquels la société est confrontée suscitent des préoccupations croissantes de la part des parties prenantes, la plupart sont abordées ou intégrées seulement de manière symbolique dans l'action comme le vote par procuration, particulièrement en lien avec les propositions par rapport au développement durable et aux pratiques de divulgation concernant l'inclusion des parties prenantes dans l'évaluation de l'importance relative. / This thesis uses three qualitative methods (scoping review, semi-structured interviews, and qualitative content analysis) to explore how organizations consider stakeholder demands related to sustainability and how these demands shape organizations' actions. This doctoral thesis focuses on two governance and consultation mechanisms that link stakeholders and organizations: 1) proxy voting as a shareholder engagement strategy in a responsible investment context and 2) stakeholder involvement in materiality assessment in a sustainability reporting context. These two topics are linked because responsible investment practitioners make their decisions on extra-financial issues based on information communicated by organizations, notably through sustainability reports. Exploring responsible investment and sustainability reporting brings two different angles, but they contribute to a better understanding of how stakeholders influence the organizations' actions towards more sustainable practices. The thesis consists of three chapters considered as a whole. First, the first chapter on a scoping review and addresses the question: what is known about proxy voting as a shareholder engagement strategy by institutional investors in integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors? This scoping study also identifies some gaps in the literature. Both the neo-institutional and organizational facade approaches are mobilized in this thesis. Subsequently, the second chapter of this thesis provides evidence to answer the following question: What challenges do responsible investment practitioners face in integrating sustainability through proxy voting? Based on interviews with 36 responsible investment and shareholder engagement practitioners, this study (forthcoming in Corporate Governance: An International Review) describes and analyzes the complex social processes that underlie these practitioners' choices. Finally, the last chapter explores how organizations respond to increasing demands for extra-financial disclosure. This qualitative content analysis (currently under review in Accounting Forum) leads to identifying the predominance of indirect engagement methods (e.g., survey, media analysis) by organizational representatives with stakeholders. Finally, In sum, this thesis aims to open the "black box" on how stakeholders and their different concerns about sustainability influence and shape organizations' actions. It makes four main contributions: 1) Mapping elements of the scientific literature on proxy voting as a shareholder engagement strategy; 2) Constructing a research agenda on proxy voting as a shareholder engagement strategy; 3) Identifying challenges in integrating ESG factors into proxy voting; and 4) Adding elements of analysis to disclosures related to stakeholder involvement in the materiality assessment. Overall, this thesis shows that while there is growing concern among stakeholders about the significant challenges facing society, most of these are only in a symbolic way addressed or integrated into the action, such as proxy voting, particularly concerning sustainability-related proposals and disclosure practices concerning stakeholders' inclusion in materiality assessment.