Theory and Method in the Comparative Study of Values: Critique and Alternative to Inglehart

This paper critically reviews Ronald Inglehart's recent comparative work on value change in modern societies. It is argued that Inglehart's central thesis - value change seen primarily as a consequence of technological development and economic growth, leading to the spread of secular-rational and self-expression values - is materialist, unilinear, and comparative-static. The example of religious secularization is used to show an alternative comparative approach which takes into consideration institutional characteristics of states and societies. Two aspects of Inglehart's methodology are investigated: his measurement of 'traditional vs. secular-rational'and 'survival vs. self-expression values' and his treatment of units and levels of measurement. It is shown that his scales are heterogeneous collections of items, that his classification of the countries into cultural zones' is not very consistent, and that he is unaware of the distinction between the macro and micro levels of analysis. Comparative data on national identity and pride are used to show the importance of this distinction. Three general requirements of comparative research are outlined in the concluding section