Mr James Ackland
- Research Associate in Statistics of Missing Data (School of Geographical & Earth Sciences)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4722-6301Biography
Current Research
James has two major ongoing research projects.
Census Nonresponse and Electoral Turnout
In this project, we are taking a geospatial approach to identify the drivers of non-responding behaviour in the turnout, and of non-turnout (abstention) in local elections. We seek to understand the extent to which these behaviours have common predictors, and the extent to which they differ. In each of the census and election contexts, we hope to identify lessons that can be applied to increase public engagement in the other.
GeoPoll
In this work, we attempt to improve upon the polling industry's gold-standard "MRP" polls. These models improve upon conventional approaches by explicitly representing electoral geography and applying regression modelling to impute over under-represented demographic groups in samples. However, they tend not to include rich geospatial datasets in their prediction phase, which may aid with prediction in this otherwise high-missingness environment. Here, we evaluate the utility of such data for this modelling context.
Background
James has a background in quantitative political science. His PhD research looked at the structure of political attitudes, trying to model how and why people form political beliefs, particularly within the context of UK electoral geography. This research involved significant work with quantitative modelling and statistics, including regression modelling, agent-based models, Bayesian statistics, and geospatial statistics.
His MPhil research focused on the psychological underpinnings of the 'neighbourhood effect' in UK elections, in which local geography might influence the way in which people vote.
Research interests
Missing data; geospatial analysis; political geography; political psychology; agent-based modelling
Publications
Prior publications
Article
David J. Young, James Ackland, Andreas Kapounek, Jens Madsen, Lee de-Wit (2024) A Cluster-Based Measure of Issue Polarisation: US Trends 1988-2020 and Predictors Across 105 Nations 1999-2022 Crossref. (doi: 10.31234/osf.io/zgd7r)
Graeme Ackland, James A. Ackland, Mario Antonioletti, David J. Wallace (2022) Fitting the reproduction number from UK coronavirus case data and why it is close to 1 Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences James Ackland. ISSN 1471-2962 (doi: 10.1098/rsta.2021.0301)
Tessa Buchanan, James Ackland, Sam Lloyd, Sander van der Linden, Lee de-Wit (2022) Clear consensus among international public for government action at COP26: patriotic and public health frames produce marginal gains in support Climatic Change James Ackland. ISSN 1573-1480 (doi: 10.1007/s10584-021-03262-2)
James Ackland, Jason Rentfrow, Andrés Gvirtz, Lee de-Wit (2021) Psychological Electoral Neighbourhood Effects Crossref. (doi: 10.31234/osf.io/j6exs)
James A Ackland, Graeme Ackland, David J Wallace (2021) Evolution of case fatality rates in the second wave of coronavirus in England: effects of false positives, a Variant of Concern and vaccination James Ackland. (doi: 10.1101/2021.04.14.21255385)
Teaching
Ongoing supervision for two Masters projects within the MSc Geospatial and Mapping Sciences programme.
Additional information
James works predominantly at the Crichton campus in Dumfries, but also has time set aside to be at Gilmorehill.
In his spare time, James puts geospatial theory into practice in the beautiful, if niche, sport of orienteering. Discuss this with him at your own risk - your diary will not thank you.
