@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

Does the Cultural Context Really Shape Welfare? A Comparative Analysis

John Hudson University of York, UK

Nam K. Jo SungKongHoe University, South Korea

Antonia Keung University of York, UK

Award ES/J00460X/1

@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

Background

‘Culture matters’ thesis

‘Macro’ perspective

Broad conception, dominant beliefs, often post hoc explanations

‘Micro’ perspective

Public opinion, specific issues, unstable

Advances in data, concepts and method

@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

In-Between Analysis

Jo (2011) culture as stable societal values

More concrete than macro

More enduring than micro

Cultural context of social policy making

Interplay of politics, economics, institutions and culture at meso-level

Not a decisive influence, but a significant one

@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

Analytic Strategy

Extract examples of societal values:

Data from successive waves EVS/WVS data 1981-2009

173 societal cases • 59 countries x max 4 time points • 243,975 responses

Factor analysis of pooled data • manual inspection and reanalysis

End goal: identify stable and distinct examples of societal values

Built on work of Hofstede, Jo, Schwartz, van de Vijver et al

@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

Societal values used in OLS & MLM regression models

Models include OECD states only due to data limitations

Dependent Variables (Policy Decisions):

Following Jo: public opinion data and spending data on contentious issues

‘Old social risks’: perceptions of poverty • unemployment spending

Expand to ‘new social risks’: family policy spending • maternity leave policy

Exploit new data sources (OECD Family Policy Structures Database)

Analytic Strategy

@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

Additional Independent Variables (Policy Contexts):

Economic context (GDP per capita, growth, unemployment)

Political context (cabinet composition)

Institutional context (welfare regime)

Five year averages (except values)

Stage I of analysis: fs/QCA to follow

Analytic Strategy

@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

Societal Values

Societal Value Example Survey Item

Relgiosity God is important in my life

Conservative Social Norms Is divorce permissible?

Permissive Values on Adherence to Laws Justifiable to cheat on taxes?

Optimistic Values Satisfied with your life?

Traditional Family Values Is marriage an out-dated institution?

Interpersonal tolerance Would you not like heavy drinkers as your neigbours?

Political Activeness Do you participate in lawful demonstrations?

Political Orientedness Do you regularly discuss politics with friends?

@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

Culture significantly improves models

Religiosity +

Political activeness -

Condition, but not status of economy

Political impact puzzling?

Regimes play clear role

Public Opinion: individuals and poverty

@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

Culture significantly improves models

Inter-personal tolerance +

Political activeness -

Political orientedness +

Condition and status of economy matter

Regimes play muted role

Political context not significant

Unemployment Spending: Share SOCX

@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

Remarkably consistent

Culture significantly improves models

But significant societal values alter

Inter-personal tolerance still +

Political activeness and political orientedness shift

Permissive values on adherence to laws

Unemployment Spending: Share GDP

@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

Culture improves models but not significantly

Religiosity –

Regimes play muted role

Political context not significant

Status of economy matters

Less strong support for culture matters thesis…

Family Spending: Share GDP

@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

Culture improves models but not significantly for MLM

Again religiosity -

Conservative social norms +

Political and institutional contexts not significant

Status and condition (unemp) of economy matters

Less strong support for culture matters thesis…

Family Spending: Share SOCX

@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

Societal values impact on politically charged normative debates

Unemployment spending captures this well

Family policy aggregates wide range of interventions e.g.:

Universal child benefits

In-work income top-ups for families with children

Income supplements for lone parent and large families

Child care

Maternity leave

Different normative debates for each

Move away from focus on expenditure

Problems with Spending…

@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

Considered maternity leave: replacement rate, length and FTE

Replacement rate:

Culture improves model but not significantly so

Modest support for culture matters thesis?

Length:

Culture improves model significantly

Largely the same for FTEs

Strong support for culture matters thesis…

Family Policy Structures

@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

Shown value of in-between concept of culture

Facilitates empirical investigation of culture matters thesis

Tentative findings – refinements and fs/QCA to follow

Limits to approach here:

Data driven • Examples of societal values • Weaknesses in models

Added support to culture matters thesis

Interesting tentative findings worthy of further exploration

Conclusion

@spswspsw.york

Department of Social Policy and Social Work

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