Economic Liberalization and Intergenerational Mobility in Occupational Status

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 790-820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexi Gugushvili
Keyword(s):  
Intergenerational Mobility ◽  
Occupational Status ◽  
Economic Liberalization ◽  
Life Chances ◽  
National Differences ◽  
European Values ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Linear Regressions ◽  
Representative Samples ◽  
Cross National

One of the most important components of post-socialist transition has been economic liberalization. This article inquiries into how the latter is associated with intergenerational mobility in occupational status. Using European Values Studies (evs) data from the nationally representative samples for a large number of post-socialist societies, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ebrd) index of economic liberalization, and multilevel mixed-effects linear regressions, I test the “meritocracy as functional imperative” perspective which implies that life chances depend on the efficiency considerations of liberalized economy. The derived results are robust to alternative model and variable specifications and suggest that economic liberalization explains cross-national differences in intergenerational status reproduction, and is better suited for macro-sociological models of mobility in occupational status than other conventional contextual explanations such as economic development and income inequality.

Towards a Sociology of Attitudes

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Voas
Keyword(s):  
Social Attitudes ◽  
Perceived Fairness ◽  
Latent Constructs ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Beliefs And Values ◽  
European Values ◽  
Basic Distinction ◽  
European Values Study ◽  
The One ◽  
Cross National

The psychology of attitudes has made important contributions to knowledge over many decades, but it has tended to cause confusion in the study of social attitudes. From a sociological perspective, attitudes should be defined as prescriptive or evaluative judgements, not as individual predispositions to act in particular ways or to view something favourably or unfavourably. The basic distinction that has been lost is that between personal preferences, tastes or feelings on the one hand and social attitudes on the other. Attitudes also need to be distinguished from beliefs and values. Contrary to the current consensus in psychology, if not actual practice in sociology, attitudes are more usefully regarded as observable characteristics than as latent constructs. This perspective is applied to survey questions related to attitudes and then both theoretically and empirically to the concepts of tolerance and trust, with the aim of illustrating what might emerge from a more sociological treatment of attitudes. The analysis involves cross-national comparisons using the 2008 European Values Study. Distaste for multiple kinds of out-groups seems to be a better predictor of not wanting a homosexual as a neighbour than disapproval of homosexuality, and similar results are found for other ‘others’. With trust, the evidence shows that not only individual but also national differences in the perceived fairness of others have substantial effects. To the extent that trust is rooted in a moral evaluation of people in general, it qualifies as an attitude itself rather than being just a belief about the attitudes of others.

Most People Are Happy

1996 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ed Diener ◽  
Carol Diener
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Measurement Methods ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
National Data ◽  
The World ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Representative Samples ◽  
Cross National

Myers and Diener (1995) asked “Who is happy?” but examined the question of who is more and who is less happy In fact, most people report a positive level of subjective well-being (SWB), and say that they are satisfied with domains such as marriage, work, and leisure People in disadvantaged groups on average report positive well-being, and measurement methods in addition to self-report indicate that most people's affect is primarily pleasant Cross-national data suggest that there is a positive level of SWB throughout the world, with the possible exception of very poor societies In 86% of the 43 nations for which nationally representative samples are available the mean SWB response was above neutral Several hypotheses to explain the positive levels of SWB are discussed

Perceived Impact of Organized Crime and Dimensions of National Cultures

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni A. Travaglino ◽  
Cristina d'Aniello
Keyword(s):  
Organized Crime ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Three Dimensional Model ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Study Results ◽  
The World ◽  
European Values ◽  
Perceived Impact ◽  
Cross National

The presence of organized crime is a worldwide problem. There is, however, variation in the degree to which nations and societies are susceptible to organized crime’s activities. In the present study, in a sample of one hundred nations, we examined the question of whether cross-national differences in the perceived impact of organized crime are associated with differences between cultures. To address this question, we used a recent three-dimensional model of cross-national cultural differences, describing dimensions of Collectivism-Individualism, Distrust-Trust and Duty-Joy. This model is rooted in Hofstede’s theorising and representative data from the World Values Survey and the European Values Study. Results demonstrated that nations with higher scores of Collectivism and Distrust are also characterized by a stronger perceived impact of organized crime, as measured by the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey. Notably, after controlling for nations’ levels of wealth, further analyses showed that nations with higher scores of Distrust and Joy are those where the perceived impact of organized crime is stronger. Implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed.

Intergenerational Mobility in Occupational Status

2017 ◽  
Vol 00 ◽  
pp. 135-159
Author(s):  
Malik Muhammad ◽  
Muhammad Jamil
Keyword(s):  
Intergenerational Mobility ◽  
Occupational Status

Worldwide shadow education and social inequality: Explaining differences in the socioeconomic gap in access to shadow education across 63 societies

2021 ◽  
pp. 002071522098786
Author(s):  
Steve R Entrich
Keyword(s):  
Social Inequality ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Shadow Education ◽  
Cultural Economic ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Cross National

This article examines the cross-national differences in socioeconomic accessibility to shadow education (SE) across 63 societies. Drawing on arguments from two competing theoretical models either emphasizing cross-national cultural, economic, and institutional differences (e.g. model of secondary schooling, scale of SE) or universally working social reproduction mechanisms (e.g. enrichment features of SE), this study provides a novel approach to understanding the role of SE for social inequality. More specifically, while the first model explicitly allows equality in access to SE, the latter suggests that SE fosters inequality under all circumstances. Using data from the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and official sources, first, the difference in the probability of top in comparison to bottom socioeconomic strata to use SE is predicted separately for all societies, before analyzing what causes the found considerable cross-national variation in the socioeconomic gap in access to SE at the country level. Results indicate that differences in SE access are linked to incentives for high-performing students to use SE. These incentives are especially common in societies with higher educational institutional differentiation (e.g. early or mixed tracking schooling models). In societies with less stratified education systems, access to SE is more equal, wherefore the potential effect of SE to social inequality is dampened. Overall, findings suggest that simple generalizations based on existing theoretical models provide no comprehensive explanation for the connection between SE and inequality. Instead, prominent beliefs about the relationship between SE and inequality are questioned.

Are misinformation, antiscientific claims, and conspiracy theories for political extremists?

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-605
Author(s):  
Adam M. Enders ◽  
Joseph E. Uscinski
Keyword(s):  
The Political ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Political Orientations ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Political Left ◽  
Identity Based ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Political Groups ◽  
Representative Samples

Extremist political groups, especially “extreme” Republicans and conservatives, are increasingly charged with believing misinformation, antiscientific claims, and conspiracy theories to a greater extent than moderates and those on the political left by both a burgeoning scholarly literature and popular press accounts. However, previous investigations of the relationship between political orientations and alternative beliefs have been limited in their operationalization of those beliefs and political extremity. We build on existing literature by examining the relationships between partisan and nonpartisan conspiracy beliefs and symbolic and operational forms of political extremity. Using two large, nationally representative samples of Americans, we find that ideological extremity predicts alternative beliefs only when the beliefs in question are partisan in nature and the measure of ideology is identity-based. Moreover, we find that operational ideological extremism is negatively related to nonpartisan conspiracy beliefs. Our findings help reconcile discrepant findings regarding the relationship between political orientations and conspiracy beliefs.

scholarly journals Regional Variation in Inequality of Educational Opportunity across Europe

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 237802312110198
Author(s):  
Bastian A. Betthäuser ◽  
Caspar Kaiser ◽  
Nhat An Trinh
Keyword(s):  
Regional Variation ◽  
Educational Opportunity ◽  
Large Body ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Regional Level ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Inequality Of Educational Opportunity ◽  
Cross National

A large body of literature documents cross-national variation in the level of inequality of educational opportunity (IEO) among children from different social backgrounds. By contrast, relatively little attention has been given to the extent to which IEO varies within counties and across regions. On the basis of data from the European Social Survey, the authors map variation in IEO across regions in Europe and show that IEO varies substantially within counties. This visualization of the heterogeneity of IEO within European countries highlights the need for researchers and policy makers to extend the current focus on cross-national differences and to investigate and address IEO at the regional level. The visualization raises important questions with respect to the contours, causes, and consequences of cross-regional variation in IEO.

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