Worlds of Welfare Capitalism and Wellbeing: A Multilevel Analysis

2012 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 811-829 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRIS DEEMING ◽  
DAVID HAYES
Keyword(s):  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Welfare Regimes ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Welfare Capitalism ◽  
Ideal Types ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Welfare Systems ◽  
Welfare Theory

AbstractSocial scientists in the comparative policy tradition have long argued that welfare systems in modern capitalist societies can be broken down into ideal types. The idea of different worlds of welfare capitalism has an enduring appeal and growing practical policy relevance as governments seek to enhance population wellbeing. In this paper, we explore the worlds of welfare theory from the perspective of happiness. Drawing on data from the World Values Survey, we examine how welfare regimes may contribute to wellbeing and we consider the significance of our findings for the development of social policy. By using multilevel models, it is possible to separate out effects due to observed and unobserved, as well as both individual-level and country-level, welfare state characteristics and we can make inferences to the distribution of social wellbeing across welfare typologies. We find that respondents living in liberal and conservative countries experience at least twice the odds of unhappiness of those living in social democracies, after controlling for individual- and country-level explanatory variables. The observed differences between the worlds of welfare were found to be highly statistically significant.

Languages and National Identity in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Multilevel Approach

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katalin Buzási
Keyword(s):  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Country Level ◽  
National Identification ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Language Knowledge ◽  
French Colonies ◽  
Sub Saharan

This chapter contributes to the recent strand of the empirical political and economic literature that attempts to reveal the determinants of national identification in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although previous survey-based studies provide evidence that the socio-economic characteristics of individuals, the properties of ethnic groups they belong to, and certain country-level variables influence the probability of having positive attitudes toward the ethnic group or the nation, the role of languages has not been studied in this context yet. Inspired by findings of psycholinguistics and related disciplines, we utilize the fourth round of the Afrobarometer Project (surveyed in 2008 and 2009) to conduct analysis on the possible positive relationship between language knowledge and identification in national versus ethnic terms. We introduce two language-related explanatory variables. First, the Index of Communication Potential (ICP) reflects the probability that an individual can communicate with another randomly selected person within the society relying on commonly spoken languages. Second, we take into account the number of spoken languages in one’s repertoire. The multilevel models show that although speaking more than two languages increases the chance of identifying in national compared to ethnic terms, the ICP is not significant in this sense on the whole sample. But, when we consider the nationality of the former colonizers, the ICP exhibits positive relationship with national identification on the sub-sample of the former French colonies.

scholarly journals The Impact of the Great Recession on Perceived Immigrant Threat: A Cross-National Study of 22 Countries

Societies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joonghyun Kwak ◽  
Michael Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Great Recession ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
National Study ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Important Interaction ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Threat Theory

In an increasingly globalized world, anti-immigrant sentiment has become more prevalent. Competitive threat theory suggests that anti-immigrant attitudes increase when adverse economic circumstances intensify competition with immigrants for scarce resources, but past studies using this approach are inconclusive. In this study, we investigate the impact of the Great Recession on perceived immigrant threat—an index of seven items measuring attitudes toward immigrants—using the 2013 International Social Survey Program survey. Using multilevel models, we analyze responses from 18,433 respondents nested within 22 countries. We create a country-level measure of the Great Recession Index comprised of four dimensions—the housing crash, the financial crisis, economic decline, and employment loss—and assess its impact on perceived immigrant threat. After controlling for a variety of individual-level and country-level covariates, we find that the Great Recession is positively associated with perceived immigrant threat. We also identify important interaction effects between the Great Recession Index and change in government expenditures, age, educational levels, citizenship, and urbanization. The study contributes to competitive threat theory by showing the effect of the Great Recession in exacerbating anti-immigrant sentiment.

scholarly journals Getting the Within Estimator of Cross-Level Interactions in Multilevel Models with Pooled Cross-Sections: Why Country Dummies (Sometimes) Do Not Do the Job

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 190-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Giesselmann ◽  
Alexander W. Schmidt-Catran
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sections ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Unobserved Heterogeneity ◽  
Level Structure ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Fixed Effects Estimator

Multilevel models with persons nested in countries are increasingly popular in cross-country research. Recently, social scientists have started to analyze data with a three-level structure: persons at level 1, nested in year-specific country samples at level 2, nested in countries at level 3. By using a country fixed-effects estimator, or an alternative equivalent specification in a random-effects framework, this structure is increasingly used to estimate within-country effects in order to control for unobserved heterogeneity. For the main effects of country-level characteristics, such estimators have been shown to have desirable statistical properties. However, estimators of cross-level interactions in these models are not exhibiting these attractive properties: as algebraic transformations show, they are not independent of between-country variation and thus carry country-specific heterogeneity. Monte Carlo experiments consistently reveal the standard approaches to within estimation to provide biased estimates of cross-level interactions in the presence of an unobserved correlated moderator at the country level. To obtain an unbiased within-country estimator of a cross-level interaction, effect heterogeneity must be systematically controlled. By replicating a published analysis, we demonstrate the relevance of this extended country fixed-effects estimator in research practice. The intent of this article is to provide advice for multilevel practitioners, who will be increasingly confronted with the availability of pooled cross-sectional survey data.

Managing Social Change and Social Policy in Greater China: Welfare Regimes in Transition?

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ka Ho Mok ◽  
John Hudson
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Policy Analysis ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Welfare Regimes ◽  
Welfare Capitalism ◽  
Ideal Types ◽  
Greater China

Discussion of welfare regimes and welfare state ideal types continues to dominate comparative social policy analysis, but the focus of the debate has expanded considerably since the publication of Esping-Andersen's (1990) groundbreaking The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Shifts in this debate have been prompted by a mixture of theoretical and empirical concerns raised by comparative social policy scholars, but they have also resulted from a more general internationalisation of social policy research agendas within the academy too. In particular, there has been a strong desire to expand the scope of the debate to encompass nations and regions not included in Esping-Andersen's initial study of just eighteen high income OECD states.

Time and well-being, an institutional, comparative perspective: Is it time to explore the idea of a time policy?

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lihi Lahat ◽  
Itai Sened
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Welfare Regime ◽  
Welfare Regimes ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Institutional Perspective ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Third ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The Relationship

This article explores the relationship between time and well-being as a social policy question. Although the research on time and well-being is extensive, few have dealt with them together from a comparative institutional perspective. Based on data from the third European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) of 2012, regarding 34 mostly European countries, in different welfare regimes, we explore two issues: (1) What are the effects of welfare regimes on the uses of time and subjective well-being? and (2) What are the effects of different uses of time on subjective well-being? We find that the institutional structure – the welfare regime – affects the way people use their time. Furthermore, the findings documented that uses of time have a direct effect on well-being when controlling for individual level as well as country-level variables. These findings may have important implications for policymaking.

scholarly journals The Role of Actual Democracy in the Link between National Identity and Support for Democracy

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-500
Author(s):  
Daniel Gabrielsson
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Support For Democracy ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Level ◽  
National Membership

Abstract This article analyzes the interplay between national identity and democracy. Multilevel models were tested using European Value Survey (EVS 2017), which includes 30 countries in total. On the individual level, emphasis on non-voluntary features of national identity, where national membership depends on the accident of origin, relates to lower support for democracy. At the country level, the level of actual democracy was taken in to account (Varieties of Democracy 2017). In general, higher levels of actual democracy correlate with stronger support for the ideal democracy, yet, a high level of actual democracy amplifies the negative relationship between non-voluntary national identity and support for democracy.

scholarly journals Health Implications of Migration: Cross-Classified Multilevel Models to Disentangle Country of Origin and State of Resettlement Effects of Bodyweight (P04-106-19)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Jones ◽  
Regine Haardoerfer ◽  
Fernando Riosmena ◽  
Solveig Argeseanu Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Country Of Origin ◽  
Null Model ◽  
State Level ◽  
The State ◽  
Bayes Estimation ◽  
Individual Country ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Multi Level

Abstract Objectives Pre- and post-migration environments have differing demographic, social and economic characteristics which can affect health (Figure 1). What level of variance in bodyweight is attributable to individual-, country of origin-, and state of resettlement-level factors? Methods We test what portion of the variance (as captured through intra-cluster correlations (ICCS)) in bodyweight is attributable to multi-level factors. Data come from the New Immigrant Survey (NIS), a nationally representative, longitudinal study of international migrants. The outcome of interest is BMI (kg/m2) (n = 7329). We utilize a cross-classified multi-level model approach (CCMM), where clustering in both country of origin and state of resettlement are modeled simultaneously using Bayes estimation. Results Preliminary results are based upon the public version of the NIS, which condenses states of resettlement into 15 states/regions and countries of origin into 27 countries/regions. For the conference, access to the restricted-access dataset will allow for expansion of level-2 clusters to include specific states and countries. Table 1 presents results of initial models for country-only, state-only, and CCMM-predicted BMI. In the null model (Model 1), the between-level variance in BMI was driven largely by the country of origin (4.3) and not by the state of resettlement (0.04). In the CCMM, the country ICC was 7.5% and the state ICC was 0.09% indicating that state-level variance was minimal. Throughout, estimates for CCMM are closely aligned with estimates in the country-only model, further indicating that country-level variance is playing a much larger part than state-level variance in individual-level BMI after being in the country for eight years on average. Conclusions The large share of the variance in BMI at the point of legal permanent residency in 2003 is attributable to individual-level factors. Some variance in this baseline BMI is also attributable to where an individual was born. This research helps contribute to our understanding of how environments shape health behaviors. Funding Sources Research reported in this presentation was supported in part by the NIDDK of the NIH. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs

scholarly journals Reconsidering the Reference Category

2021 ◽  
pp. 008117502098263
Author(s):  
Sasha Shen Johfre ◽  
Jeremy Freese
Keyword(s):  
Marital Status ◽  
American Sociological Review ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
Dominant Group ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Reference Category ◽  
Standard Practice ◽  
Explanatory Variables

Social scientists often present modeling results from categorical explanatory variables, such as gender, race, and marital status, as coefficients representing contrasts to a “reference” group. Although choosing the reference category may seem arbitrary, the authors argue that it is an intrinsically meaningful act that affects the interpretability of results. Reference category selection foregrounds some contrasts over others. Also, selecting a culturally dominant group as the reference can subtly reify the notion that dominant groups are the most “normal.” The authors find that three of four recently published tables in Demography and American Sociological Review that include race or gender explanatory variables use dominant groups (i.e., male or white) as the reference group. Furthermore, the tables rarely state what the reference is: only half of tables with race variables and one-fifth of tables with gender variables explicitly specify the reference category; the rest leave it up to the reader to check the methods section or simply guess. As an alternative to this apparently standard practice, the authors suggest guidelines for intentionally and responsibly choosing a reference category. The authors then discuss alternative ways to convey results from categorical explanatory variables that avoid the problems of reference categories entirely.

scholarly journals Country-level structural stigma, identity concealment, and day-to-day discrimination as determinants of transgender people’s life satisfaction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Bränström ◽  
John E. Pachankis
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Transgender People ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Identity Concealment ◽  
Population Attitudes ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Lower Life Satisfaction ◽  
Negative Population

Abstract Purpose Discriminatory laws, policies, and population attitudes, surrounding transgender people vary greatly across countries, from equal protection under the law and full acceptance to lack of legal recognition and open bias. The consequences of this substantial between-country variation on transgender people’s health and well-being is poorly understood. We therefore examined the association between structural stigma and transgender people’s life satisfaction across 28 countries. Methods Data from transgender participants (n = 6771) in the 2012 EU-LGBT-survey regarding identity concealment, day-to-day discrimination, and life satisfaction were assessed. Structural stigma was measured using publicly available data regarding each country’s discriminatory laws, policies, and population attitudes towards transgender people. Results Multilevel models showed that country-level structural stigma was associated with lower life satisfaction, an association largely explained by higher levels of identity concealment in higher-structural-stigma countries. Yet identity concealment was also associated with lower day-to-day discrimination and therefore protected against even lower life satisfaction. Conclusion The results emphasize the importance of changing discriminatory legislation and negative population attitudes to improve transgender people’s life satisfaction, and also highlight targets for intervention at interpersonal and individual levels.

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