1.
Gabrielsson, Daniel, 1975-
(författare)
The interplay between national identity and democracy
2024
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt) abstract
Background: National identity, the sense of belonging to a nation, significantly influences both unity and division within societies. It can be voluntary, based on shared beliefs, or non- voluntary, tied to ancestry. These aspects affect democracy in distinct ways. Further, national identity encompasses the attitudes and emotions that people hold towards their nation. This dissertation examines how national identity impacts democracy at both the individual and the societal level. Although the theoretical links between national identity and democracy are well-established, empirical research on these relationships remains scarce. This study seeks to address the gap by exploring the effects that various forms of national identity have on individual support for democracy and the level of formal democracy across different countries.Data and Methods: This dissertation primarily uses cross-sectional data and employs a range of analytical techniques that include multilevel models, mediation analysis, and ordinary least squares regression. Data are sourced mainly from the European Values Study (EVS), the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), the Varieties of Democracy (V- Dem), and the Project Manifesto. The datasets offer comprehensive coverage of national identity and democracy, enabling a robust analysis of their interrelationships across various contexts and time periods.Results: At the societal level, top-down nationalism driven by political elites and non-voluntary collective national identity among the populace negatively affect formal democracy. When top-down nationalism and non-voluntary national identity coexist, there is an interaction effect that further diminishes the level of formal democracy. At the individual level, a stronger emphasis on non-voluntary features of national identity correlates with lower support for democracy. Additionally, there is an interaction effect between the societal and individual levels, whereby higher levels of formal democracy amplify the negative relationship between non-voluntary identity and support for democracy. The negative impact of non-voluntary national identity on civic beliefs and participation largely explains its negative correlation with support for democracy. Taken together, the analyses underscore the detrimental impact of non- voluntary national identity on democracy, suggesting that fostering a democratic ethos requires promoting inclusive, voluntary aspects of national identity. No relationship was found between national attachment and the level of formal democracy.iConclusionThese results challenge classical and liberal nationalist views. They suggest that strong, shared national identities do not necessarily lead to positive democratic outcomes. Promoting inclusive, voluntary aspects of national identity aligns with core democratic values, such as political equality, whereas non-voluntary aspects of national identity do not. Thus, non-voluntary national identity seems to be an obstacle to democratic trajectories.
2.
Hjerm, Mikael, 1969-
(författare)
My people right or wrong? : a comparative analysis of national sentiments and their meaning
2000
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt) abstract
In a world of presumed nation-states, nation has been, and still is, an intrinsic part of political legitimization and identity formation. Thus, it is clear that the understanding of nationality and people's relationship too it is of great importance for our understanding of how a stable society, partly built on nationality, can prevail in a world of migration consisting of individuals with diverging moral, religious and cultural conceptions. This thesis examines national sentiments in a cross-country comparative perspective. It consists of an introductory chapter and five articles.The first objective is to study the relationship between policy regimes and supposedly related national sentiments. The question is whether there are differences in national sentiments that can be derived from differences in policy regimes or whether there are more universal features to be found. In examining this we have the possibility to further understand what factors that help to create and sustain national sentiments. The second objective is to study the relation between different national sentiments and other complex attitudes such as xenophobia and protectionism. This includes the study of national identities as well as of nationalism.The following conclusions are drawn. First, it appears that we need to reconsider the almost taken for granted assumption of a correspondence between regime types prevalent in a certain society and people's sentiments towards such a society. Second, there exist substantial crosscountry similarities in the effect that different national sentiments have. It is shown that people who have more civic forms of national sentiments are clearly less inclined to hold derogatory preconceptions about people perceived as not belonging to the group, compared the ideas held by those who have more ethnic national sentiments. Moreover, the findings also supply empirical evidence supporting the notion that a clear-cut positive nationalism can never exist.All in all, it is shown that multicultural ideas are something worth striving for on an individual level. Moreover, the results seem to indicate that a liberal form of multiculturalism is preferable to a more communitarian version, which is explored and supported in the normative exposé of the two forms of multiculturalism.
3.
Mitchell, Jeffrey, 1986-
(författare)
Prejudice in context over time : how demographic, economic and social conditions influence anti-immigrant attitudes in adolescents and adults
2020
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt) abstract
Background Thesis explores the contexts that influence anti-immigrant attitudes in both adolescents and adults, and how contexts influence changes anti-immigrant attitudes in societies over time. Whereas previous research into anti-immigrant attitudes has either focused on micro socialization factors in adolescence, or threat inducing factors in adulthood; this thesis forwards an approach that synthesizes these two ideas. This approach includes four aspects: 1) Macro level contexts influence of prejudice during adolescence 2) Macro contextual factors, not strictly limited to direct competition over resources are important for prejudicial attitudes 3) These contexts are potentially changing over time, and changes in conditions should be related to changes in attitudes, and 4) The effects of these macro contexts on prejudicial attitudes during adolescence cast a long shadow over the rest of people’s lives.Methods The methods used in this thesis employ a diverse range of datasets from Sweden (YeS), Germany (CILS4EU), the United States (GSS) and Europe (ESS) to measure attitudes towards immigrants. Each of these datasets allow for both comparative and longitudinal analysis with multi-level models, and contextual indicators that expand with each study from classrooms to regions, and finally countries.Results The findings support the proposed approach. Demographic, economic and attitudinal contexts in adolescence influence attitudes about immigrants. Similarly, changes in contexts over time are also important. In contrast, only historic demographic and economic conditions experienced in adolescence, and contemporary levels of social trust influence attitudes in adults.Conclusion This thesis makes both a theoretical and empirical contributions to the literature on anti-immigrant attitudes. By combining previous approaches it draws attention to both different types of contexts and when they should be important in relation to anti-immigrant attitudes. It also shows empirical evidence for each aspect of this approach with longitudinal analyses.
4.
Velásquez, Paolo, 1989-
(författare)
Higher education and the evolution of prejudice
2023
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt) abstract
Background: This dissertation looks at the effect of higher education on prejudice, in particular anti-immigrant sentiment. In studies of prejudice, higher education is constantly shown to correlate to lower levels of prejudice, the so-called “liberalizing effect of education,” yet we do not fully understand to what extent education matters for these attitudes. By using longitudinal data, this dissertation looks at the effect of education on out-group attitudes from different angles. It seeks to investigate whether attaining more education results in lower levels of prejudice; whether this educational effect is universal; to what extent levels of prejudice differ among academic majors, as well as theorizing about the possible mechanisms responsible for this robust relationship.Methods: This dissertation relies on both longitudinal data and cross-sectional data and a mixture of multilevel, cross-classified, and OLS linear regression models. Data come from the Norwegian Citizen Panel (NCP) and Statistics Norway, the New Immigrant Survey Netherlands (NIS2NL), the General Social Survey (GSS), and the Chilean Longitudinal Social Survey (ELSOC).Results: The four studies give insight into how and why education matters for ethnic out-group attitudes, by emphasizing different aspects of education. The main contributions from this dissertation are the following: education has the potential to reduce prejudice, albeit in cultural terms; education has an “inoculation effect” in situations that give rise to insecurity and uncertainty; the liberalizing effect of education is manifested toward ethnic minorities but not toward the ethnic majority; the content of education matters for attitudes, that is, higher education does not have a monolithic effect on attitudes; and education yields effects that are separate and/or different from other socio-economic indicators.Conclusion: This dissertation makes empirical and theoretical contributions to the study of prejudice by finding longitudinal evidence of an inverse relationship of education and anti-immigrant sentiment over time, in both Western and non-Western contexts. In addition, it provides a foundation for future research on the possible theoretical mechanisms responsible for this relationship.
