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77 lines
5.3 KiB
77 lines
5.3 KiB
---
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date: 2026-04-05
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topic: right-wing-party-axis-validation
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---
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# Right-Wing Party Axis Validation
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## Problem Frame
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The project convention states that PVV, FVD, JA21, and SGP must appear on the RIGHT side of all axes in visualizations (AGENTS.md). This is the #1 documented convention with zero automated enforcement. A single test prevents regression when SVD labels change or new components are added.
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## Requirements
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**R1. Canonical party sets defined once, imported everywhere**
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- Define `CANONICAL_RIGHT = frozenset({"PVV", "FVD", "JA21", "SGP"})` in `analysis/config.py`
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- Define `CANONICAL_LEFT = frozenset({"SP", "PvdA", "GL", "GroenLinks", "GroenLinks-PvdA", "DENK", "PvdD", "Volt"})` in `analysis/config.py` — matches svd_labels.py LEFT_PARTIES exactly
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- All code that checks political orientation (svd_labels.py, political_axis.py) imports from config instead of defining inline
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**R2. Validation test loads real data from DuckDB**
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- Test file: `tests/test_axis_political_orientation.py`
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- Uses existing data loading functions (`load_party_scores_all_windows_aligned` from `analysis/explorer_data.py`)
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- No synthetic data — validates against actual `party_axis_scores` table
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**R3. 2D political compass orientation check (statistical, not per-party)**
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- `party_axis_scores` table has `x_axis_aligned` (component 1) and `y_axis_aligned` (component 2)
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- For each window, validate both axes using **mean scores**:
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- **Axis 1 (x)**: Compute mean of `CANONICAL_RIGHT` x-values and mean of `CANONICAL_LEFT` x-values. Assert `right_mean > left_mean`
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- **Axis 2 (y)**: Same for y-values. Assert `right_mean > left_mean`
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- "Right on right" means the **average** right party is right of the **average** left party — individual parties may deviate slightly (e.g., one right party slightly negative is fine)
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- `compute_flip_direction` already implements this logic (compares group means) — use it
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- Skips parties not present in a given window (graceful, not a failure)
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**R4. `compute_flip_direction` consistency check**
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- After loading data, call `compute_flip_direction(1, party_scores)` and `compute_flip_direction(2, party_scores)` per window
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- Assert both return `False` (no flip needed) when data is already correctly oriented
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- If either returns `True`, the data violates the convention and the test fails with a clear message
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**R5. Clear failure messages**
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- When orientation check fails, report: window, axis (x/y), right_mean, left_mean, difference
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- Example: `"Window '2021-2023', x-axis: right_mean=-0.12, left_mean=0.08 (right parties on LEFT side — flip direction=True)"`
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## Success Criteria
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- Test runs as part of `pytest` suite (`.venv/bin/python -m pytest tests/test_axis_political_orientation.py`)
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- Test passes with current data (convention currently holds — this establishes the baseline)
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- If convention is violated in future data, test fails with actionable message
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- Test works for all windows in the database (not just current)
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- Statistical check (mean-based) — test passes even if individual parties deviate slightly from group mean
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## Scope Boundaries
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- **Not included**: Testing unaligned scores (only aligned scores are validated — these are what users see)
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- **Not included**: VVD, NSC, BBB, CDA, ChristenUnie — these are center parties, not right-wing per AGENTS.md convention
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- **Not included**: Per-party strict sign checks (statistical mean check is sufficient and more robust)
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- **Not included**: Updating `political_axis.py` — R1 only updates `svd_labels.py` to import from config; `political_axis.py` uses different party sets for PCA centroid orientation and is out of scope
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## Key Decisions
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- **Canonical sets match AGENTS.md for right, svd_labels.py for left**: `CANONICAL_RIGHT = {PVV, FVD, JA21, SGP}` matches AGENTS.md exactly. `CANONICAL_LEFT = {SP, PvdA, GL, GroenLinks, GroenLinks-PvdA, DENK, PvdD, Volt}` matches svd_labels.py LEFT_PARTIES exactly.
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- **Single unified source of truth in config.py**: `CANONICAL_RIGHT` and `CANONICAL_LEFT` frozensets go in `config.py` — it's a prerequisite for the test to work correctly. Only `svd_labels.py` is updated to import from config; `political_axis.py` is out of scope (uses party sets for PCA centroid orientation, not the same usage).
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- **Aligned scores only**: Unaligned scores may vary across windows due to Procrustes alignment drift; aligned scores are the stable, user-facing representation.
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- **Statistical (mean-based) validation, not per-party**: The orientation check compares group means, not individual party scores. A single right party being slightly negative is not a failure — the mean right score must exceed the mean left score.
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## Dependencies / Assumptions
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- DuckDB database is populated with `party_axis_scores` table with `x_axis_aligned` and `y_axis_aligned` columns (verified)
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- `analysis/explorer_data.py` functions work correctly (already tested)
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- `_PARTY_NORMALIZE` already exists in `config.py` (lines 247-256) — use it for party name alias normalization
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- `config.py` currently lacks `CANONICAL_RIGHT`/`CANONICAL_LEFT` frozensets — these must be added as part of R1
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- `compute_flip_direction()` in `svd_labels.py` currently uses inline `RIGHT_PARTIES`/`LEFT_PARTIES` — must be updated to import from config after R1
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## Outstanding Questions
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All resolved. Key decisions documented above.
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## Next Steps
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→ `/ce:plan` for structured implementation planning
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