39 research outputs found
Welfare States, Solidarity and Justice Principles: Does the Type Really Matter?
In this article, we investigate whether and, if so, to what extent, peopleâs notions of solidarity and their choices of justice principles are related to the type of welfare state regime they live under, as well as to individual socio-demographic and ideological factors. We analyse data from the International Social Survey Program 1996 and the European Values Study 1999, which together cover preferences of citizens from 20 welfare states. Hypotheses pertaining to peopleâs notions of solidarity and preferences for justice principles in the different welfare state regimes are derived from the work of Esping-Andersen and his critics, as well as from sociological and socialpsychological theories of solidarity and distributive justice. We find important, although not decisive, evidence for the thesis that the actual state of affairs with respect to the welfare state regime under which citizens live determines their views about which level of solidarity should be achieved and which justice principles should be emphasized. However, differences found are often not very pronounced, and we argue that this is a consequence of the fact that values of solidarity and justice are matters of priority to all welfare states. Taking into account the differences which exist between welfare state regimes, we also find important differences between individuals and social groups in their preferred level of solidarity and in their choice of justice principles.
Welfare state effects on social capital and informal solidarity in the European Union:Evidence from the 1999/2000 European Values Study
EVS - European Values Study 1999 - Netherlands
Moral, religious, societal, political, work, and family values of Europeans. Topics: Leisure time: importance of areas of life; feeling of happiness; memberships and honorary activities in clubs, parties, organizations, citizensÂŽ initiatives and occupation organizations; interactions in leisure time; tolerance regarding minorities, those of other beliefs and foreigners; inter-human trust; self-effectiveness (scale); general contentment with life (scale). Work: importance of selected characteristics of occupational work (scale); personal employment; general work satisfaction (scale); self-determination at work (scale); work ethic (scale); attitude to achievement-based pay and following work instructions without criticism; priority of nationals over foreigners as well as men over women with shortage of jobs; assumed priority of individual or social reasons for the situation of economic need of individuals; freedom of the unemployed to reject a job offer (scale). Politics: party preference; attitude to foreign workers in oneÂŽs country; fear of the future; assimilation and integration of immigrants; concept of a just society (more welfare state or liberalism, scale); interest in political news in the media; individualism and thinking of the community; interest in politics; political participation; self-assessment on a left-right continuum (scale); self-responsibility or governmental provision (scale); attitude to competition freedom and entrepreneur freedom (scale); satisfaction with democracy; attitude to the current political system of the country and judgment on the political system of the country ten years ago (scale); preference for a democratic political system or for strong leadership of an individual politician (scale); attitude to democracy (scale); loss of national characteristics through unification of Europe. Religion: individual or general standard for good and evil; current and perhaps earlier religious denomination; current frequency of church attendance and at the age of 12; importance of religious celebration at birth, marriage and funeral; self-assessment of religiousness; ability of the religious community in moral questions, with problems in family life, spiritual needs and current social problems of the country; belief in God, life after death, hell, heaven, sin, telepathy and reincarnation; belief in God or nihilism (scale); importance of God in oneÂŽs own life (scale); comfort and strength through belief; prayer and meditation; frequency of prayer; possession and belief in lucky charms or talisman (scale); reading and observing horoscopes; attitude to separation of church (religion) and state (scale). Family and marriage: important criteria for a successful marriage (scale); attitude to marriage and the traditional family structure (scale); attitude to oneÂŽs own children (scale); attitude to traditional understanding of oneÂŽs role of man and woman in occupation and family (scale); attitude to a traditional or liberal parent-child relation; importance of educational goals; attitude to abortion. Society: preference for individual freedom or social equality; post-materialism (scale); preferred social development (scale); attitude to technical progress; trust in institutions; observing individual human rights in the country; attitude to environmental protection (scale); closeness to family, the neighborhood, people in the region, countrymen, Europeans and humanity; closeness to older people, the unemployed, foreigners and handicapped well as readiness to make an effort for these groups; personal reasons for assistance with older people as well as foreigners; identification with the city, the region, the nation, Europe and the world; national pride. morals and sexuality: moral attitudes (tax evasion, theft, use of drugs, lying, bribe money, corruption, euthanasia, suicide, environmental pollution, alcohol at the wheel; scale); moral attitudes to partnership and sexuality (homosexuality, abortion, divorce, promiscuity; scale); assumed spreading of immoral behavior in the population of the country (scale); attitude to punishment dependent on the situation of the culprit or the victim (scale). Demography: sex; year of birth; marital status and living together with a partner; number of children; school education; age at termination of school training; employment; superior function and span of control; company size; occupation (ISCO88) and occupational position; length of unemployment; size of household; ages of children in household; head of household; characteristics of head of household; household income. Additional country specific questions included. Also coded: city size; region.Moralische, religiöse, gesellschaftliche, politische, ökonomische und soziale Wertvorstellungen der EuropĂ€er. Themen: Freizeit: Wichtigkeit der Lebensbereiche; GlĂŒcksgefĂŒhl; Mitgliedschaften und ehrenamtliche TĂ€tigkeiten in Vereinen, Parteien, Organisationen, BĂŒrgerinitiativen und Berufsorganisationen; Verkehrskreise in der Freizeit; Toleranz gegenĂŒber Minderheiten, AndersglĂ€ubige und AuslĂ€nder; zwischenmenschliches Vertrauen; Selbstwirksamkeit (Skalometer); allgemeine Lebenszufriedenheit (Skalometer). Arbeitswelt: Wichtigkeit ausgewĂ€hlter Merkmale beruflicher Arbeit (Skala); eigene ErwerbstĂ€tigkeit; allgemeine Arbeitszufriedenheit (Skalometer); Selbstbestimmung in der Arbeit (Skalometer); Arbeitsethos (Skala); Einstellung zu einer leistungsorientierten Bezahlung und zum kritiklosen Befolgen von Arbeitsanweisungen; PrioritĂ€t von InlĂ€ndern gegenĂŒber AuslĂ€ndern sowie MĂ€nnern gegenĂŒber Frauen bei Arbeitsplatzknappheit; vermuteter Vorrang individueller oder gesellschaftlicher Ursachen fĂŒr die wirtschaftliche Notlage Einzelner; Entscheidungsfreiheit von Arbeitslosen zur Ablehnung eines Arbeitsangebots (Skalometer). Politik: ParteiprĂ€ferenz; Einstellung zu auslĂ€ndischen Arbeitnehmern im eigenen Land; Zukunftsangst; Assimilation und Integration von Immigranten; Vorstellung von einer gerechten Gesellschaft (mehr Wohlfahrtsstaat oder Liberalismus, Skala); Interesse an politischen Nachrichten in den Medien; Individualismus und Gemeinschaftsdenken; Politikinteresse; politische Partizipation; SelbsteinschĂ€tzung auf einem Links-Rechts-Kontinuum (Skalometer); Selbstverantwortlichkeit oder staatliche Vorsorge (Skalometer); Einstellung zur Wettbewerbsfreiheit und Unternehmerfreiheit (Skalometer); Demokratiezufriedenheit; Einstellung zum derzeitigen politischen System des Landes und Beurteilung des politischen Systems des Landes vor zehn Jahren (Skalometer); PrĂ€ferenz fĂŒr ein demokratisches politisches System oder fĂŒr eine starke FĂŒhrerschaft eines einzelnen Politikers (Skala); Einstellung zur Demokratie (Skala); Verlust nationaler Charakteristika durch die Vereinigung Europas. Religion: individueller oder genereller MaĂstab fĂŒr Gut und Böse; derzeitige und gegebenenfalls frĂŒhere Konfession; derzeitige KirchgangshĂ€ufigkeit und im Alter von 12 Jahren; Wichtigkeit religiöser Feiern bei Geburt, Hochzeit und Beerdigung; SelbsteinschĂ€tzung der ReligiositĂ€t; Kompetenz der Religionsgemeinschaft in moralischen Fragen, bei Problemen im Familienleben, bei geistigen BedĂŒrfnissen und aktuellen sozialen Problemen des Landes; Glaube an Gott, an ein Leben nach dem Tod, an die Hölle, den Himmel, die SĂŒnde, an Telepathie und an Wiedergeburt; GottglĂ€ubigkeit oder Nihilismus (Skala); Wichtigkeit von Gott im eigenen Leben (Skalometer); Trost und Kraft durch den Glauben; Beten und Meditation; GebetshĂ€ufigkeit; Besitz und Glauben an GlĂŒcksbringer oder Talisman (Skalometer); Lesen und BerĂŒcksichtigen von Horoskopen; Einstellung zur Trennung von Kirche (Religion) und Staat (Skala). Familie und Ehe: wichtigste Kriterien fĂŒr eine erfolgreiche Ehe (Skala); Einstellung zur Ehe und zur traditionellen Familienstruktur (Skala); Einstellung zu eigenen Kindern (Skala); Einstellung zum traditionellen RollenverstĂ€ndnis von Mann und Frau in Beruf und Familie (Skala); Einstellung zu einer traditionellen oder liberalen Eltern-Kind-Beziehung; Wichtigkeit von Erziehungszielen; Einstellung zur Abtreibung. Gesellschaft: PrĂ€ferenz fĂŒr individuelle Freiheit oder soziale Gleichheit; Postmaterialismus (Skala); prĂ€ferierte gesellschaftliche Entwicklung (Skala); Einstellung zum technischen Fortschritt; Vertrauen in Institutionen; Beachtung der individuellen Menschenrechte im Lande; Einstellung zum Umweltschutz (Skala); NĂ€he zur Familie, zur Nachbarschaft, den Menschen in der Region, zu den Landsleuten, den EuropĂ€ern und der Menschheit; NĂ€he zu Ă€lteren Menschen, zu Arbeitslosen, AuslĂ€ndern und Behinderten sowie Bereitschaft sich fĂŒr diese Gruppen einzusetzen; persönliche GrĂŒnde fĂŒr Hilfeleistungen bei Ă€lteren Menschen sowie bei AuslĂ€ndern; Identifikation mit dem Ort, der Region, der Nation, Europa und der Welt; Nationalstolz. Moral und SexualitĂ€t: moralische Einstellungen (Steuerhinterziehung, Diebstahl, Drogengebrauch, LĂŒgen, Schmiergelder, Korruption, Euthanasie, Selbstmord, Umweltverschmutzung, Alkohol am Steuer; Skala); moralische Einstellungen zu Partnerschaft und SexualitĂ€t (HomosexualitĂ€t, Abtreibung, Scheidung, PromiskuitĂ€t; Skala); vermutete Verbreitung unmoralischer Verhaltensweisen in der Bevölkerung des Landes (Skala); Einstellung zu einer Bestrafung in AbhĂ€ngigkeit von der Situation des TĂ€ters bzw. des GeschĂ€digten (Skala). Demographie: Geschlecht; Geburtsjahr; Familienstand und Zusammenleben mit einem Partner; Kinderzahl; Schulbildung; Alter bei Beendigung der Schulausbildung; BerufstĂ€tigkeit; Vorgesetztenfunktion und Kontrollspanne; BetriebsgröĂe; Beruf (ISCO88) und berufliche Stellung; Dauer der Arbeitslosigkeit; HaushaltsgröĂe; Alter der Kinder im Haushalt; Haushaltsvorstand; Charakteristika des Haushaltsvorstands; Haushaltseinkommen. Der Fragebogen enthĂ€lt weitere lĂ€nderspezifische Fragen. ZusĂ€tzlich kodiert: OrtsgröĂe; Region
Governance for Sustainable Development: A Human Rights Perspective
This chapter addresses the role of human rights as a mandatory, integral component of any quality âgovernance for sustainable developmentâ system and practice. For this purpose, the evolving relationship between sustainable development and the human rights framework, the implications thereof for governance practices and some of the challenges involved are analyzed. While obviously there are still numerous human rights and sustainable development deficits in all parts of the world, international law confirms that both sustainable development and human rights are relevant for, and require action by, states at all stages of development and in all circumstances. More in particular, states are duty-bearers for sustainable development and responsible for building an enabling environment for the actual enjoyment of human rights. Such an enabling environment has various generally applicable components, including rights-based and inclusive legislation and policies, the allocation of resources (extending for instance to budget, expertise, facilities, and/or services), and data collection and analysis. In addition, an adequate institutional framework and accessible procedures, state-civil society cooperation (including participatory governance), and attention for the cross-cutting general principle of non-discrimination are important. Besides providing substantive orientation, the core global human rights treaties also create monitoring opportunities and are a basis for holding duty bearers to account. The last part of the chapter explores what a human rights perspective involves for governance practice in relation to the specific issue of natural resource management, a core element of sustainable development. Participation and benefit-sharing are central concerns in this regard. The potential practical consequences of benefit-sharing requirements are illustrated by the Saramaka case (Suriname)