TY - JOUR

T1 - Are levels of democracy affected by mass attitudes? Testing attainment and sustainment effects on democracy

AU - Welzel, Christian Peter

PY - 2007/9/1

Y1 - 2007/9/1

N2 - Recent findings by Inglehart and Welzel indicate that emancipative mass attitudes show a significantly positive effect on subsequent democracy, controlling for previous democracy and a number of socio-structural and socioeconomic factors. However, on an important theoretical point these prior findings remain inconclusive: the causal mechanism of why and how emancipative mass attitudes favor democracy. This article specifies such a mechanism, arguing that emancipative attitudes motivate mass actions that demonstrate people's willingness to struggle for democratic achievements, be it to establish democracy when it is denied or to defend it when it is challenged. Based on World Values Surveys rounds two to four, the empirical analyses strongly confirm these hypotheses, supporting what has recently been introduced as an "emancipative theory of democracy.".

AB - Recent findings by Inglehart and Welzel indicate that emancipative mass attitudes show a significantly positive effect on subsequent democracy, controlling for previous democracy and a number of socio-structural and socioeconomic factors. However, on an important theoretical point these prior findings remain inconclusive: the causal mechanism of why and how emancipative mass attitudes favor democracy. This article specifies such a mechanism, arguing that emancipative attitudes motivate mass actions that demonstrate people's willingness to struggle for democratic achievements, be it to establish democracy when it is denied or to defend it when it is challenged. Based on World Values Surveys rounds two to four, the empirical analyses strongly confirm these hypotheses, supporting what has recently been introduced as an "emancipative theory of democracy.".

KW - Politics

KW - Gender and Diversity

KW - democratization

KW - mass action

KW - mass attitudes

KW - political culture

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=35348858028&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/92b72703-d77f-3f0f-a39d-ae0d012f6c6c/

U2 - 10.1177/0192512107079640

DO - 10.1177/0192512107079640

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 28

SP - 397

EP - 424

JO - International Political Science Review

JF - International Political Science Review

SN - 0192-5121

IS - 4

ER -