Setting limits to tolerance : an experimental investigation of individual reactions to extremism and violence

Tolerating others' opinions, even if disliked, is a cornerstone of liberal democracy. At the same time, there are limits to political tolerance as tolerating extremists and groups who use violence would threaten the foundations of tolerance itself. We study people's willingness to set limits to tolerance in case of violence and extremism (scope of tolerance) - under different conditions regarding ideological groups (left-wing, right-wing, religious) and offline/online contexts of free speech. Using data from a large-scale survey experiment conducted in Germany, we show that citizens clearly set limits to tolerance of different groups, especially if the latter have violent intentions, and that people tend to be more tolerant online than offline. Moreover, we find that citizens are more tolerant toward groups that are closer to their own ideological stance. However, violence disrupts such an ideological bias as respondents across the ideological spectrum exhibit low levels of tolerance toward violent groups - irrespectively of their political stance. Our findings highlight the importance of situational factors as foundations of judgments on the limits to tolerance.German Research FoundationFritz Thyssen Foundatio

Considered effective? : how policy evaluations and threat perceptions affect support for surveillance in the context of terrorism

Surveillance policies aimed at combating terrorism and improving public security can also lead to constraints on civil liberties. In view of this trade‐off between the potential benefits and risks of surveillance, it is particularly important to study how effectiveness considerations shape public support for surveillance. We argue that effectiveness perceptions enhance policy support, but that the manner in which citizens view policy effectiveness depends on their perceptions of threats related to terrorism and to violations of civil liberties. Using data from a factorial survey experiment in Germany, we show that policy effectiveness is the most relevant predictor of citizens' support for different surveillance measures. Moreover, we find evidence that depending on the scope of surveillance, respondents perceiving threats to their liberty rely much less heavily on policy effectiveness as a criterion for evaluating policies, compared to those whose threat perception is low.Deutsche ForschungsgemeinschaftProjekt DEA

Belonging and exclusion : the dark side of regional identity in Germany

A collective regional identity is a favourable condition for the acceptance of majority decisions made at the regional level and for the delegation of competencies from the central to regional governments. Moreover, a regional identity can play an important role in times of global challenges. Regional attachment might generate a we-feeling and help individuals to cope better with a complex world. The same feeling, however, might also serve as a basis for exclusionary attitudes. In this article, we analyse regional identity at the Land level in Germany with data from the German General Social Survey. Our results show that regional identity is strong in both the eastern and western parts of the country, with people in the east, surprisingly, identifying with their respective Land slightly more than people in the west, even though the five eastern Länder were only established in 1990 after decades of centralist rule. Furthermore, the dark side of regional identity manifests itself only in eastern Germany, where a stronger regional identity tends to go hand in hand with a greater dislike of foreigners.Projekt DEA

Responding to policy signals? : an experimental study on information about policy adoption and data retention policy support in Germany

We analyze whether and how individuals react to information about the adoption of a particular policy, with a focus on the role of conservatism. We conducted an online survey experiment on support for data retention in Germany. A recent law on this issue allowed us to test the effects of two policy signals, information about the adoption of a new law (law signal) and information that this followed a Constitutional Court decision (law and court signal), on separate groups of respondents. Our results show a positive effect of each policy signal on support for data retention. The effect of the law signal was even slightly stronger for individuals with conservative beliefs. Illustrating how lock‐in effects of policies can work, our study contributes to research on attitudinal policy feedback: creating new legislation also means legitimizing the policy position in question and stating that this norm should be accepted.German Research Foundation (DFG

Exponential elliptic boundary value problems on a solid torus in the critical of supercritical case

In this paper we investigate the behavior and the existence of positive and non-radially symmetric solutions to nonlinear exponential elliptic model problems defined on a solid torus $\bar{T}$ of $\mathbb{R}^3$, when data are invariant under the group $G=O(2)\times I \subset O(3)$. The model problems of interest are stated below: {ll} {\bf(P_1)} & \displaystyle \Delta\upsilon+\gamma=f(x)e^\upsilon, \upsilon>0\quad \mathrm{on} \quad T, \quad\upsilon |_{_{\partial T}}=0. and {ll}\bf{(P_2)} & \displaystyle \Delta\upsilon+a+fe^\upsilon=0, \upsilon>0\quad \mathrm{on}\quad T, [1.3ex] &\displaystyle \frac{\partial \upsilon}{\partial n}+b+ge^\upsilon=0\quad \mathrm{on} \quad{\partial T}. We prove that exist solutions which are $G-$invariant and these exhibit no radial symmetries. In order to solve the above problems we need to find the best constants in the Sobolev inequalities in the exceptional case

“God is Hidden in the Earthly Kingdom:” The Lutheran Two-Kingdoms Theory as Foundation of Scandavanian Secularity

Martin Luther’s signature “two kingdoms” teaching of the sixteenth century was an early and innovative theory of secularization that lies at the heart of historical Scandinavian culture. Defying the organic medieval models of Western Christendom, Luther separated the heavenly and earthly kingdoms, the saint and the sinner, faith and reason, church and the state, Gospel and the Law, as well as the spiritual and secular uses of law, government and authority. Though God is separated from day-to-day life, Luther wrote, God is still hidden in the earthly kingdom” and can be seen through various “masks,” “mists,” and “mimes.” Though the visible church is separated from the state and other institutions, religion remains pervasive in the common callings of every person to be God’s prophet, priest and king in every vocation and location of life. Luther’s two kingdoms theory is a complicated and controversial part of this thinking, but it is worth re-exploring today as pluralistic Scandinavia faces strong new pressures of both sacralization and secularization and seeks to discern anew “the hidden sacraliity of the secular.