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The cultural determinants of democracy and dictatorship - Does democracy require a civic culture?

6 important questions on The cultural determinants of democracy and dictatorship - Does democracy require a civic culture?

A shared cluster of attitudes that are thought to promote democracy and democratic performance.

the belief on the part of individuals that they can influence political decisions
positive feelings towards the political system
high levels of interpersonal trust
preferences for gradual societal change

The collective value of social networks and shared norms that promote reciprocity, trust, and social cooperation.

Countries exhibiting traditional values (emphasize the importance of religion, traditional family roles and deference to authority) or secular-rational values (less emphasis on these values).
Countries exhibiting survival values (emphasize the importance of physical and economic security) or self-expression values (emphasize the importance of gender racial and sexual equality; environmental protection; tolerance of diversity and life satisfaction).

The industrialization phase: countries move from traditional values to secular-rational values. The modernization process, is in this sense a secularization process.
The post-indutrialization phase: countries move away from survival values to self-expression values, resulting in political liberalization, greater emancipation and a greater say in how political and economical decisions are made.

Focuses on survey administration: adopt practices that build trust with the respondents
Involves the use of randomized response techniques: the introduction of a randomizing device, such as a coin or a die, into the survey response process to guarantee the confidentiality of individual responses.
Involves the use of list experiments.
Involves the use of endorsement experiments: to protect the confidentiality of individual responses by mixing attitudes toward a sensitive political actor with attitudes toward one or more policies.

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