scholarly journals The “New” Cultural Cleavage in Western Europe: A Coalescence of Religious and Secular Value Divides?

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Pless ◽  
Paul Tromp ◽  
Dick Houtman
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Cultural Value ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Cultural Divide ◽  
Strongly Connected ◽  
European Values ◽  
European Values Study ◽  
Western European

AbstractMoral traditionalism versus progressiveness and secular authoritarianism versus libertarianism are often understood as central to the same “new” cultural cleavage in politics. Despite the often-found sizable correlations between these two cultural value divides, the present paper theorizes that this relationship is not a cross-contextual constant, but rather a specific feature of secularized contexts where moral traditionalism is relatively marginal. We test this theory by means of a two-stage statistical analysis of the data from the four waves of the European Values Study (1981–2008) for 17 Western European countries. Our findings confirm that the two value divides are most strongly connected in the most secularized contexts because the latter are least morally traditionalist. While the two cultural divides hence tend to be distinct in more religious Western-European countries, they tend to coalesce into one single “new” cultural divide in more secular ones.

scholarly journals Are All Socialists Anti-religious? Anti-religiosity and the Socialist Left in 21 Western European Countries (1990-2008)

2016 ◽  
pp. 66-85
Author(s):  
Egbert Ribberink ◽  
P Achterberg ◽  
Dick Houtman
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Religious Identity ◽  
European Countries ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Situation ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
European Values ◽  
European Values Study ◽  
Western European ◽  
Secular Religion

The political situation in the Soviet Union during the twentieth century has led some to suggest that socialism is some kind of secular religion as opposed to ‘normal’ religion. In modern Europe, however, there have been vibrant Christian socialist movements. This article looks into the different attitudes of socialists towards religion and answers the question whether it is pressure of religious activity or pressure of religious identity that makes socialists resist religion. The results from a multilevel analysis of three waves of the European Values Study (1990-2008) in 21 Western European countries specifically point to an increase in anti-religiosity by socialists in countries marked by Catholic and Orthodox religious identities.

CASE STUDY: Regional Cultural Differences Within and Across Four Western European Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-47
Author(s):  
Nadine Waehning ◽  
Ibrahim Sirkeci ◽  
Stephan Dahl ◽  
Sinan Zeyneloglu
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Cultural Value ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Business Plans ◽  
Regional Markets ◽  
Gender Education ◽  
Western European

This case study examines and illustrates within country regional cultural differences and cross border cultural similarities across four western European countries. Drawing on the data from the World Values Survey (WVS), we refer to the Schwartz Cultural Values Inventory in the survey. The demographic variables of age, gender, education level, marital status and income vary across the regions and hence, have significant effects on the cultural value dimensions across regions. The findings help a better understanding of the homogeneity and heterogeneity of regions withinand across countries. Both researchers and managers will have to justify their sampling methods and generalisations more carefully when drawing conclusions for a whole country. This case study underlines the limited knowledge about regional within country cultural differences, while also illustrating the simplification of treating each country as culturally homogeneous. Cross-country business strategies connecting transnational regional markets based on cultural value characteristics need to take these similarities and differences into account when designating business plans.

A Mistrustful Society?

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-71
Author(s):  
Nicole Horáková
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
Government Institutions ◽  
European Values ◽  
European Values Study ◽  
Eastern European Countries

The level of trust in politicians also in government institutions is taken as an indicator of the state of society in general. Various studies have shown that the population of the Central Eastern European countries, and especially the citizens of the Czech Republic, lack trust in state institutions and democratic structures. The trust of the Czech population in government institutions is, compared to other (Western) European countries, at a relatively low level. This article aims to discuss different factors that are currently influencing this lack of trust: the historical, cultural, and institutional. The empirical data for this article is based on the European Values Study and Czech surveys of public opinion concerning trust in government institutions.

scholarly journals The comparative triad "state-education-church" in Ukraine and some countries of Western Europe

2014 ◽  
pp. 53-60
Author(s):  
Yaroslav Stockiy
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Christian Ethics ◽  
European Countries ◽  
State Education ◽  
Elective Course ◽  
Western European ◽  
Church Schools

The urgency of the topic is due to the lack of research on the problem of the school curriculum with regard to the special elective course "Fundamentals of Christian ethics", its curriculum, the professionalism of teachers, the role of students in education, certain religious uniqueness in polyconfessional Ukraine, and comparison with religious studies in public, private or church schools of some Western European countries.

scholarly journals How can national governance affect education quality in Western Europe?

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 413-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Gerged ◽  
Mohamed Elheddad
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Resource Scarcity ◽  
The Body ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Education Quality ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Western European

Purpose As the international society faces unprecedented challenges associated with resource scarcity, governance scandals, increasing injustice and inequality, new opportunities for higher education institutions are emerging. This paper aims to investigate the association between national governance standards and education quality across nine western European countries, namely, the UK, Germany, France, Finland, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and Ireland. Design/methodology/approach Using panel data from 2002 to 2017, this paper uses fixed-effects and random-effects models to examine the relationship between national governance (proxied by voice and accountability (V&A) indicator) and education quality (proxied by human development index: education index). This analysis is supplemented with conducting instrumental variable (IV) estimations to address any concerns regarding the expected occurrence of endogeneity problems. Findings The findings are suggestive of a significant and positive relationship between national governance and education quality in Europe. This implies that national governance standards, such as V&A, are essential actors in the enhancement of the quality of educational institutions’ outcomes. Research limitations/implications Policymakers should implement stricter regulations and ensure that accountability indicators are motivated if they wish to increase the spending on education, which is associated with better qualities of educational institutions. A culture of continuous review of education policies needs to be upheld in the Western Europe region to be watchful of any emerging problems while maintaining a sustainable relationship between the rule of law and the education administration. Originality/value So far, a minimal number of studies focussed on examining the role of country-level governance in advancing education quality. This study, therefore, extends the body of prior literature by investigating the possible effect of national governance structures on education quality across a sample of Western European countries.

scholarly journals Microsystematic revision of the populations of Abax parallelepipedus (Piller & Mitterpacher, 1783) occurring in central-western Europe (Coleoptera Carabidae)

2016 ◽  
pp. 3-32
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Zanella
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Variation ◽  
Male Genitalia ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Abax Parallelepipedus ◽  
Western European ◽  
Form Features ◽  
Alpine Environments ◽  
European Populations

Morphological variation of central-western European populations of Abax parallelepipedus was studied in order to revise the microsystematics of this species. Original descriptions and systematic revisions published since the second half of the 18th century are discussed. Biometric variables and morphometric indexes were evaluated on 792 specimens sampled from several European countries. The data were statistically analysed in order to discriminate the populations significantly differentiated from the nominotypical form. Features of male genitalia are also discussed. The results attest that the morphological variation becomes more relevant among populations inhabiting alpine environments and the Italian ones show the most distinctive modifications of somatic and/or aedeagic traits. On the basis of these results, A. p. euganensis Schatzmayr, 1944 is resurrected from synonymy with A. p. inferior, whereas the following new synonymies are proposed:Abax parallelepipedus parallelepipedus (Piller & Mitterpacher, 1783) = A. p. subpunctatus (Dejean, 1828) syn. nov. = A. p. audouini (L. Dufour, 1851) syn. nov. = A. p. germanus Schauberger, 1927 syn. nov.Abax parallelepipedus inferior (Seidlitz, 1887) = A. p. alpigradus Schauberger, 1927 (sensu Schatzmayr, 1944) syn. nov.A phylogeographical scenario is hypothesized and discussed in the light of the collected data.

scholarly journals Electoral Cycles in Government Policy Making: Strategic Timing of Austerity Reform Measures in Western Europe

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Strobl ◽  
Hanna Bäck ◽  
Wolfgang C. Müller ◽  
Mariyana Angelova
Keyword(s):  
Government Policy ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Policy Decisions ◽  
Leadership Change ◽  
Prime Ministers ◽  
Electoral Cycles ◽  
Western European ◽  
Empirical Analyses

AbstractThis article investigates whether governing parties strategically time austerity policies to help them win re-election. It contributes to existing research by focusing directly on government policy output, analyzing over 1,200 welfare and taxation austerity measures in thirteen Western European countries over twenty years. In line with previous research, the authors find that governments become less likely to introduce austerity measures as elections approach. The study introduces original hypotheses about which governments have theabilityandopportunityto strategically time policy decisions. The authors suggest that minimal winning cabinets with leadership change (new prime ministers) face less complex bargaining environments and can credibly shift responsibility for austerity measures to the preceding government. The empirical analyses show that these governments are most likely to strategically time austerity policies.

State Policies toward Islam in Twenty Countries in Western Europe: The Accommodation of Islam Index

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Serdar Kaya
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
State Policies ◽  
The State ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Policy Decisions ◽  
Halal Food ◽  
Country Differences ◽  
Western European ◽  
Muslim Communities ◽  
Regional Governments

AbstractThis study creates an index that reveals the extent to which Western European countries accommodate Islamic traditions and practices. The index covers six realms in which Muslim communities seek accommodation: (1) education, (2) chaplaincy services, (3) mosques, (4) cemeteries, (5) Islamic attire, and (6) halal food. The study examines and quantifies the state policies in twenty Western European countries on both national and municipal levels with a particular focus on actual implementation. Results indicate that Western European countries vary widely in terms of their accommodation of Islam. There are also notable within-country differences, due in part to regional governments, as they also make and/or implement policy decisions. Both between- and within-country variations in the accommodation of Islam reveal a variety of nuances, and blur dual categories, such as ethnic-civic and assimilationist-integrationist.

scholarly journals Consequences of the Radicalization of Migration Policy In Western Europe: Socio-Economic Aspect

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 78-90
Author(s):  
Maxim Kulaga
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Political Process ◽  
Migration Policy ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
European Countries ◽  
The European Union ◽  
State Of The Economy ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Western European ◽  
Migration Crisis

The problem of regulating migration flows in the European Union has existed for a long time and is becomingmore difficult and complex every year. Due to the complexity of the distribution of migrants among the member countries of the organization, as well as the divergence of domestic interests of individual countries and the pan-European policy vector, internal opposition arises, which is expressed in protests and political initiatives that radicalize society. Such trends are developing especially actively in the countries of Western Europe, the most economically developed and progressive, which have taken over most of the legal migrants who have arrived. The migration policy of Western European countries has undergone a very strong metamorphosis over the past five years. Since the beginning of the migration crisis in 2015, it is possible to trace a significant strengthening and tightening of measures regulating the situation of migrants on the territory of states. It should be noted that during the same period, a new round of development of radical parties followed in many European countries, but it was in Western European countries that radical changes in politics took place. It is quite difficult to determine what impact migrants have on the state of the economy of states, as well as their relations with the indigenous inhabitants of Western European countries. Accordingly, the purpose of this article will be to consider the socio-economic impact of migrants on the countries of Western Europe during the period of radicalization of the policy of the states of the region in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Among the methods used in this study, it is necessary to distinguish empirical and theoretical ones, such as comparison, analysis and synthesis. The sources were considered on the basis of a system-structural approach to the study of complex political and social processes and phenomena, taking into account many aspects of the development of modern society and the political process in the countries. The analysis of the current situation was carried out on the basis of the principles of historicism, cultural and political continuity. The results of this study can be used in the future to form effective methods of countering social conflicts arising as a result of migration.

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