State identity in Europe today: Some determinants
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15678/ZP.2018.44.2.01Keywords:
state identity, national identity, social capital, communist legacy, post-communist countriesAbstract
Objectives: The article is aimed at studying the differentiation of the strength of state identity in selected European countries and attempts to explain the observed tendencies.
Research Design & Methods: The empirical part is based upon three waves of the International Social Survey Programme entitled ‘National Identity’.
Findings: The results show that state identities in Western European countries are well-developed. Central/Eastern European societies are characterised by lower levels of state identity than Western European ones. We attribute this phenomenon to legacies of the past, especially the to many centuries of economic underdevelopment of the region that was enhanced increased by communism and low levels of social capital in Eastern European societies.
Contribution: This study links the state identity of citizens of European countries with their living conditions and past legacies.
Article Classification: Research article
Keywords: state identity, national identity, social capital, communist legacy, post-communist countries
JEL classification: H1, H4, P3, P5
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References
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Tilly, Ch. (ed) (1975). The Formation of National States in Western Europe. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Turner, B. S. (1993). Contemporary problems in the theory of citizenship. In B. S. Turner (Ed.), Citizenship and Social Theory. London: Sage Publications.
Walzer, M. (1992). The civil society argument. In Ch. Mouffe (Ed.), Dimensions of Radical Democracy. London: Verso.
Wendt, A. (1999). Social Theory of International Politics. Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town: Cambridge University Press.
Wittenberg, J. (2015). Conceptualizing historical legacies. East European Politics & Societies, 29(2), 366–378.
World Bank, The (2016). World Development Indicators. Zubrzycki, G. (2001). “We, the Polish Nation”: Ethnic and civic visions of nationhood in post-communist constitutional debates. Theory and Society, 30(5), 629–668.
Alesina, A., Deleeschauwer, A., Easterly, W., Kurlat S. & Wacziarg, R. (2003). Fractionalization. Journal of Economic Growth, 8(2), 155–194.
Anderson, B. R. (1991). Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. London: Verso.
Bernhard, M. & Jasiewicz, K. (2015). Whither Eastern Europe? Changing approaches and perspectives on the region in political science. East European Politics & Societies, 29(2), 311–322.
Blokker, P. (2005). Post-communist modernization, transition studies, and diversity in Europe. European Journal of Social Theory, 8(4), 503–525.
Brambor, T., Clark, W.R. & Golder, M. (2006). Understanding interaction models: Improving empirical analyses. Political Analysis, 14(1), 63–82.
Brubaker, R. (1996). Nationalism Reframed: Nationhood and the National Question in the New Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Crawford, B. & Lijphart, A. (1995). Explaining political and economic change in post-communist Eastern Europe: Old legacies, new institutions, hegemonic norms, and international pressures. Comparative Political Studies, 28(2), 171–199.
Darden, K. & Grzymala-Busse, A. (2006). The great divide: Literacy, nationalism, and the communist collapse. World Politics, 59(1), 83–115.
Dekker, P. & Uslaner, E. M. (Eds.). (2001). Social Capital and Participation in Everyday Life. London: Routledge.
Delanty, G. (1995). Inventing Europe: Idea, Identity, Reality. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.
Delanty, G. (2000). Citizenship in the Global Age: Culture, Society and Politics. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Elster, J., Offe, C., Preuss, U. K., Boenker, F., Goetting, U. & Rueb, F. W. (1998). Institutional Design in Post-communist Societies. Rebuilding The Ship at Sea. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
ESS Round 1: European Social Survey Round 1 Data (2002). Data file edition 6.4. Norwegian Social Science Data Services, Norway – Data Archive and distributor of ESS data.
ESS Round 6: European Social Survey Round 6 Data (2012). Data file edition 2.1. Norwegian Social Science Data Services, Norway – Data Archive and distributor of ESS data.
Gel’man, V. (2008). Out of the frying pan, into the fire? Post-Soviet regime changes in comparative perspective. International Political Science Review, 29(2), 157–180.
Gellner, E. (1983). Nations and Nationalism. Oxford: Basil Blackwell Publisher Limited.
Habermas, J. (1992). Faktizität und Geltung – Beiträge zur Diskurstheorie des Rechts und des demokratischen Rechtsstaats. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp.
Habermas, J. (1994). Citizenship and national identity. In B. van Steenbergen (Ed.), The Condition of Citizenship. London, Thousand Oaks, New Delhi: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Hjerm, M. (1998). National identities, national pride, and xenophobia: A comparison of four Western countries’. Acta Sociologica, 41(4), 335–347.
Ivanova, M. (2007). Inequality and government policies in Central and Eastern Europe. East European Quarterly, 41(2), 167–204.
ISSP Research Group (1998). International Social Survey Programme: National Identity I – ISSP 1995. GESIS Data Archive, Cologne. ZA2880 Data file Version 1.0.0. Doi:10.4232/1.2880.
ISSP Research Group (2012). International Social Survey Programme: National Identity II – ISSP 2003. GESIS Data Archive, Cologne. ZA3910 Data file Version 2.1.0. Doi:10.4232/1.11449.
ISSP Research Group (2015). International Social Survey Programme: National Identity III – ISSP 2013. GESIS Data Archive, Cologne. ZA5950 Data file Version 2.0.0. Doi:10.4232/1.12312.
Jones, F. L. & Smith, P. (2001). Diversity and commonality in national identities: An exploratory analysis of cross-national patterns. Journal of Sociology, 37(1), 45–63.
Karklins, R. (2005). The System Made Me Do It. Corruption in Post-communist societies. Armonk NY, London: M.E. Sharpe.
Kitschelt, H. (1986). Political opportunity structure and political protest: Anti-nuclear movements in four democracies. British Journal of Political Science, 16(1), 57–85.
Kunovich, R. M. (2006). An exploration of the salience of Christianity for national identity in Europe. Sociological Perspectives, 49(4), 435–460.
Kunovich, R. M. (2009). The sources and consequences of national identification. American Sociological Review, 74(4), 573–593.
Linz, J. J. & Stepan, A. (1996). Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation. Southern Europe, South America, and Post-communist Europe. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.
Loveless, M. & Whitefield, S. (2011). Being unequal and seeing inequality: Explaining the political significance of social inequality in new market democracies. European Journal of Political Research, 50(2), 239–266.
Mann, M. (1984). The autonomous power of the state. Its origins, mechanisms and results. European Journal of Sociology, 25(2), 185–213.
Norris, P. & Inglehart, R. (2004). Sacred and Secular: Religion and Politics Worldwide Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town: Cambridge University Press.
Pop-Eleches, G. (2015) Pre-communist and communist developmental legacies. East European Politics and Societies, 29(2), 391–408.
Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Raciborski, J. (2011). The state and the people: Relations old and new. Polish Sociological Review, 173, 3–20.
Rusciano, F. L. (2003). The construction of national identity: A 23-nation study. Political Research Quarterly, 56(3): 361–366.
Sajó, A. (2003). From corruption to extortion: Conceptualization of post-communist corruption. Crime, Law & Social Change, 40(2–3), 171–194.
Sapsford, R. & Abbott, P. (2006). Trust, confidence and social environment in post-communist societies. Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 39(1), 59–71.
Seligson, M. A. (2002). The impact of corruption on regime legitimacy: A comparative study of four Latin American countries. The Journal of Politics, 64(2), 408–433.
Somers, M. (2008). Genealogies of Citizenship. Markets, Statelessness and the Right to Have Rights. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Shotter, J. (1993). Psychology and citizenship. Identity and belonging. In B. S. Turner (ed.), Citizenship and Social Theory. London: Sage Publications.
Shulman, S. (2002). Challenging the civic/ethnic and West/East dichotomies in the study of nationalism. Comparative Political Studies, 35(5), 554–585.
Tajfel, H. (1981). Human Groups and Social Categories. Studies in Social Psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tilly, Ch. (ed) (1975). The Formation of National States in Western Europe. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Turner, B. S. (1993). Contemporary problems in the theory of citizenship. In B. S. Turner (Ed.), Citizenship and Social Theory. London: Sage Publications.
Walzer, M. (1992). The civil society argument. In Ch. Mouffe (Ed.), Dimensions of Radical Democracy. London: Verso.
Wendt, A. (1999). Social Theory of International Politics. Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town: Cambridge University Press.
Wittenberg, J. (2015). Conceptualizing historical legacies. East European Politics & Societies, 29(2), 366–378.
World Bank, The (2016). World Development Indicators. Zubrzycki, G. (2001). “We, the Polish Nation”: Ethnic and civic visions of nationhood in post-communist constitutional debates. Theory and Society, 30(5), 629–668.
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Published
2018-09-12
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Open Access, licence: CC-BY 4.0
How to Cite
Raciborski, J., & Rafałowski, W. (2018). State identity in Europe today: Some determinants. Journal of Public Governance, 44(2), 5-28. https://doi.org/10.15678/ZP.2018.44.2.01
