Trends in the economic and cultural value content of left-right ideology in Eastern and Western Europe since the fall of Communism

Abstract

Comparing the economic and cultural value content of left-right self-identification across Eastern and Western Europe has been important in the development and refinement of theories of ideology. For some psychological theorists, the Communist past in the East generates expectations including that the value content of left-right ideology should be reversed in key respects compared to the West but should converge over time. These expectations have been tested cross-sectionally numerous times, but we provide a first summary description of trends over time in the value content of left-right ideology across Western and Eastern Europe. We use the Integrated Values Survey to examine patterns over the thirty-year period since the fall of Communism. We compare aggregate patterns across East and West, but studying many countries makes it possible to also examine heterogeneity across countries. Although some of our findings are in line with aspects of the psychological account, on balance our results tend to question its adequacy. We do not observe any of the key forms of ideological convergence across Eastern and Western Europe which were anticipated theoretically, whilst there is considerable variety in country level patterns of change over time, particularly in Eastern Europe. This suggests the need for new accounts of left-right self-identification which can provide a better understanding of the heterogeneity of patterns at the national level.