NATIONAL VALUE DIFFERENCES - MODERNIZATION OR INSTITUTIONALIZATION

All research shows substantial between-country differences in values. How can these be explained? This article argues that a social institut ion's approach is more effective than the often-used modernization the ory to explain value differences among countries. The analysis is base d on European data from the European Values Study Group's surveys in 1 990. It is shown that familism is best explained by examining particul ar denominations, that dominate a country. Welfare-state values are ex plained by the character of the welfare state and nationalistic values by the heterogeneity of the nation. The result is a picture of fragme ntation of values among the European countries based on fundamental in stitutional arrangements in the various countries, the conclusion bein g that it cannot be expected that it is possible to create common Euro pean values.