Dimitri Gugushvili
Biographic Data
| ID | 337755 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Dimitri Gugushvili |
| GIVEN NAMES | Dimitri |
| FAMILY NAME | Gugushvili |
| SIGNATURE | GUGUSHVILI D |
| AFFILIATIONS | KU Leuven |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4699-7558 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 86 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Does right-wing populism undermine public support for environmental policies in Europe
It has been argued that in addition to other political risks, the rise of right-wing populism (RWP) in Europe poses a significant threat to environmental objectives. In the present paper, we investigate whether different facets of RWP – populist attitudes, nationalism, nativism, and voting for RWP party – correlate with greater opposition to six different environmental policies in nine European countries. Our results indicate that nativism is con…
Corruption and the social legitimacy of the welfare state: A comparative cross-national analysis
In addition to reducing the effectiveness of welfare policies, a high level of corruption is argued to undermine the social legitimacy of the welfare state. In the current article, we subject this hypothesis to an empirical test by analyzing data from two rounds of the International Social Survey Program. We find that people have a greater preference for an extensive welfare state in countries where corruption is more widespread. Similarly, at th…
Eco-social divides in public policy preferences in Great Britain
Environmental and social policy measures can both complement and contradict each other. Recent environmental sociology literature suggests that this dual relationship can give rise to eco-social divides in European societies, as some people either endorse or reject both types of measures, while some support one set of policies but not the other. In the current paper, we use data from the British Social Attitudes survey to investigate eco-social d…
Political polarization in the willingness to make sacrifices for the environment: A Cross-National Analysis
Welfare state dissatisfaction and support for major welfare reform: Towards means‐tested welfare or a universal basic income
This research note investigates how people combine their views on two radically opposing welfare reforms: a universal basic income and a fully means‐tested welfare state. Using data from the 2016–2017 European Social Survey, we found that support for transformative welfare reform is rooted in perceptions of the performance of the current system. The preferred direction of reform, however, strongly depends on the specific aspects of the welfare st…
Determinants of the Willingness to Pay Higher Taxes for Better Public Healthcare Services: Cross-National Analysis
One of the ways to improve the financial sustainability of public healthcare services is to increase taxes, as health systems are subject to mounting financial strain, especially in advanced welfare states. Yet, there is very limited recent empirical evidence on people’s willingness to pay higher taxes for better healthcare and what factors influence it, especially in comparative perspective. To address this gap, the present article analyzes publ…
Dynamics of social protection spending in the post-communist countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union: An Enduring Legacy of the Transition Shock
The post-communist countries diverge massively with regard to social protection spending. This paper investigates its causes by estimating random-effects models using time-series cross-sectional data (1995–2019) for twenty-three transition countries. We find that part of the divergence relates to the severity of the economic shock suffered in the first years of transition, as well as economic performance and participation in global trade in the s…
Determinants of Public Support for Eco-Social Policies: A Comparative Theoretical Framework
Global warming and some climate change policies pose additional social risks that necessitate novel responses from the welfare state. Eco-social policies have significant potential to address these challenges, but their wide-scale adoption will depend, among other factors, on public support. In the current article, we theorise how public opinion about eco-social policies is likely to be influenced by a set of contextual and individual-level facto…
Perceived welfare deservingness of needy people in transition countries: Comparative evidence from the Life in Transition Survey 2016
Transition to the market economy and the related restructuring of welfare systems has produced new vulnerabilities in the formerly communist countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia while simultaneously aggravating the existing ones. Given the limited fiscal capacities of the transition countries, this brings to the fore the issue of which of the new and old vulnerable groups of people are considered to be deserving of public support. Using d…
Are universal welfare policies really more popular than selective ones? A critical discussion of empirical research
Purpose In the social policy literature, it is often assumed that universal policies are more popular than selective ones among the public, because they supposedly generate broader self-interested coalitions and are considered morally superior. The present article revisits and challenges this assumption. Design/methodology/approach The article critically reviews the existing empirical literature on public support for universal and means-tested we…
Public attitudes toward economic growth versus environmental sustainability dilemma: Evidence from Europe
As global warming and other environmental threats intensify and become more visible, scientists are increasingly questioning the desirability of economic growth as an overarching national and global policy imperative. Several theories in environmental sociology and economics—degrowth, steady-state economy, and “agrowth”—offer compelling arguments that environmental sustainability and continuous economic growth are incompatible. However, there is …
Welfare solidarities in the age of mass migration: Evidence from European Social Survey 2016
Welfare opinion research has traditionally viewed migration as a potential hazard for welfare solidarity. In this article, we argue that while increased presence of foreigners can indeed make some people less supportive of public welfare provision in general or trigger opposition to migrants’ social rights, the link between migration and solidarity is not universally a negative one. Instead, many people can combine support for migration with high…
Two decades after Korpi and Palme’s “paradox of redistribution: What have we learned so far and where do we take it from here
Over two decades ago, Korpi and Palme (1998) published one of the most influential papers in the history of social policy discipline, in which they put forward a “paradox of redistribution”: the more countries target welfare resources exclusively at the poor, the less redistribution is actually achieved and the less income inequality and poverty are reduced. The current paper provides a state-of-the-art review of empirical research into that para…
Eco-Social Divides in Europe: Public Attitudes towards Welfare and Climate Change Policies
In the face of accelerating global warming and attendant natural disasters, it is clear that governments all over the world eventually have to take measures to mitigate the most adverse consequences of climate change. However, the costs of these measures are likely to force governments to reconsider some of their tax and spending priorities, of which social spending is the largest expenditure item in developed welfare states. Unless carried out i…
Perceived Welfare Deservingness of the Unemployed in Eastern versus Western Europe: Similar Levels but Different Degrees of Polarization
In this paper, we investigate whether the communist legacy and economic and institutional differences between Eastern and Western European countries also translate into substantial differences in the perceived welfare deservingness of unemployed people in the two parts of the continent. Using European Social Survey data, we find that the Eastern Europeans are clearly more divided in their solidarity with the unemployed. However, contextual factor…
Popular preferences for a fully means-tested welfare provision model: Social and cross-national divides in Europe
Purpose Whether welfare provision should be broad-based or selectively targeted at the poor is one of the most common themes in social policy discourse. However, empirical evidence concerning people's preferences about these distributive justice principles is very limited. The current paper aims to bridge this gap, by analyzing Europeans' opinions about a hypothetical transformation of the welfare state that would provide social transfers and ser…
Retrenched, but Still Desired? Perceptions Regarding the Social Legitimacy of the Welfare State in Russia Compared with EU Countries
This article explores how the retrenchment of the Russian welfare state has affected Russians’ attitudes towards it. Using European Social Survey data, we find that the retrenchment has not eroded Russians’ strong preference for a comprehensive system, despite their dissatisfaction with its outcomes. Further, we find that in Russia, some of the individual socioeconomic characteristics have a different effect on people's attitudes to social welfar…
Public attitudes towards the poor in the South Caucasus: A matter of solidarity and conditionality
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore public attitudes towards poor people in the South Caucasian countries. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on an analysis of data from the tenth round of the Caucasus Barometer survey, one of the most reliable sources of public opinion data in the region. Findings The majority of the population in Azerbaijan and Georgia would consent to paying higher taxes or reducing public services if t…
The evolution of the Georgian social protection system since independence: An unclear future despite recent expansion
In the first decade of transition, the Georgian social protection system experienced a major retrenchment as the government struggled to finance welfare provision in the face of massive economic contraction and the near collapse of public institutions. Since 2004, this trend has been reversed, with the economy returning to a fast growth path and public administration improving considerably. Recent reforms, including the notable introduction of un…
Lessons from Georgia’s neoliberal experiment: A rising tide does not necessarily lift all boats
Between 2004 and 2012, Georgia implemented one of the most comprehensive packages of neoliberal economic reforms ever. These reforms have certainly helped to spur growth, but their social effects remain under-researched. To narrow this gap, this article investigates the effects of growth on poverty in Georgia using the official household survey data. The analysis shows that contrary to popular expectations, poverty has decreased only slightly thr…
Public attitudes toward economic growth versus environmental sustainability dilemma: Evidence from Europe
As global warming and other environmental threats intensify and become more visible, scientists are increasingly questioning the desirability of economic growth as an overarching national and global policy imperative. Several theories in environmental sociology and economics—degrowth, steady-state economy, and “agrowth”—offer compelling arguments that environmental sustainability and continuous economic growth are incompatible. However, there is …
Two decades after Korpi and Palme’s “paradox of redistribution: What have we learned so far and where do we take it from here
Over two decades ago, Korpi and Palme (1998) published one of the most influential papers in the history of social policy discipline, in which they put forward a “paradox of redistribution”: the more countries target welfare resources exclusively at the poor, the less redistribution is actually achieved and the less income inequality and poverty are reduced. The current paper provides a state-of-the-art review of empirical research into that para…
Determinants of Public Support for Eco-Social Policies: A Comparative Theoretical Framework
Global warming and some climate change policies pose additional social risks that necessitate novel responses from the welfare state. Eco-social policies have significant potential to address these challenges, but their wide-scale adoption will depend, among other factors, on public support. In the current article, we theorise how public opinion about eco-social policies is likely to be influenced by a set of contextual and individual-level facto…
Welfare solidarities in the age of mass migration: Evidence from European Social Survey 2016
Welfare opinion research has traditionally viewed migration as a potential hazard for welfare solidarity. In this article, we argue that while increased presence of foreigners can indeed make some people less supportive of public welfare provision in general or trigger opposition to migrants’ social rights, the link between migration and solidarity is not universally a negative one. Instead, many people can combine support for migration with high…
Retrenched, but Still Desired? Perceptions Regarding the Social Legitimacy of the Welfare State in Russia Compared with EU Countries
This article explores how the retrenchment of the Russian welfare state has affected Russians’ attitudes towards it. Using European Social Survey data, we find that the retrenchment has not eroded Russians’ strong preference for a comprehensive system, despite their dissatisfaction with its outcomes. Further, we find that in Russia, some of the individual socioeconomic characteristics have a different effect on people's attitudes to social welfar…
Lessons from Georgia’s neoliberal experiment: A rising tide does not necessarily lift all boats
Between 2004 and 2012, Georgia implemented one of the most comprehensive packages of neoliberal economic reforms ever. These reforms have certainly helped to spur growth, but their social effects remain under-researched. To narrow this gap, this article investigates the effects of growth on poverty in Georgia using the official household survey data. The analysis shows that contrary to popular expectations, poverty has decreased only slightly thr…
Welfare state dissatisfaction and support for major welfare reform: Towards means‐tested welfare or a universal basic income
This research note investigates how people combine their views on two radically opposing welfare reforms: a universal basic income and a fully means‐tested welfare state. Using data from the 2016–2017 European Social Survey, we found that support for transformative welfare reform is rooted in perceptions of the performance of the current system. The preferred direction of reform, however, strongly depends on the specific aspects of the welfare st…
Are universal welfare policies really more popular than selective ones? A critical discussion of empirical research
Purpose In the social policy literature, it is often assumed that universal policies are more popular than selective ones among the public, because they supposedly generate broader self-interested coalitions and are considered morally superior. The present article revisits and challenges this assumption. Design/methodology/approach The article critically reviews the existing empirical literature on public support for universal and means-tested we…
Perceived Welfare Deservingness of the Unemployed in Eastern versus Western Europe: Similar Levels but Different Degrees of Polarization
In this paper, we investigate whether the communist legacy and economic and institutional differences between Eastern and Western European countries also translate into substantial differences in the perceived welfare deservingness of unemployed people in the two parts of the continent. Using European Social Survey data, we find that the Eastern Europeans are clearly more divided in their solidarity with the unemployed. However, contextual factor…
Determinants of the Willingness to Pay Higher Taxes for Better Public Healthcare Services: Cross-National Analysis
One of the ways to improve the financial sustainability of public healthcare services is to increase taxes, as health systems are subject to mounting financial strain, especially in advanced welfare states. Yet, there is very limited recent empirical evidence on people’s willingness to pay higher taxes for better healthcare and what factors influence it, especially in comparative perspective. To address this gap, the present article analyzes publ…
Dynamics of social protection spending in the post-communist countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union: An Enduring Legacy of the Transition Shock
The post-communist countries diverge massively with regard to social protection spending. This paper investigates its causes by estimating random-effects models using time-series cross-sectional data (1995–2019) for twenty-three transition countries. We find that part of the divergence relates to the severity of the economic shock suffered in the first years of transition, as well as economic performance and participation in global trade in the s…
Perceived welfare deservingness of needy people in transition countries: Comparative evidence from the Life in Transition Survey 2016
Transition to the market economy and the related restructuring of welfare systems has produced new vulnerabilities in the formerly communist countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia while simultaneously aggravating the existing ones. Given the limited fiscal capacities of the transition countries, this brings to the fore the issue of which of the new and old vulnerable groups of people are considered to be deserving of public support. Using d…
Popular preferences for a fully means-tested welfare provision model: Social and cross-national divides in Europe
Purpose Whether welfare provision should be broad-based or selectively targeted at the poor is one of the most common themes in social policy discourse. However, empirical evidence concerning people's preferences about these distributive justice principles is very limited. The current paper aims to bridge this gap, by analyzing Europeans' opinions about a hypothetical transformation of the welfare state that would provide social transfers and ser…
Political polarization in the willingness to make sacrifices for the environment: A Cross-National Analysis
The evolution of the Georgian social protection system since independence: An unclear future despite recent expansion
In the first decade of transition, the Georgian social protection system experienced a major retrenchment as the government struggled to finance welfare provision in the face of massive economic contraction and the near collapse of public institutions. Since 2004, this trend has been reversed, with the economy returning to a fast growth path and public administration improving considerably. Recent reforms, including the notable introduction of un…
The evolution of the Georgian social protection system since independence: An unclear future despite recent expansion
In the first decade of transition, the Georgian social protection system experienced a major retrenchment as the government struggled to finance welfare provision in the face of massive economic contraction and the near collapse of public institutions. Since 2004, this trend has been reversed, with the economy returning to a fast growth path and public administration improving considerably. Recent reforms, including the notable introduction of un…
Lessons from Georgia’s neoliberal experiment: A rising tide does not necessarily lift all boats
Between 2004 and 2012, Georgia implemented one of the most comprehensive packages of neoliberal economic reforms ever. These reforms have certainly helped to spur growth, but their social effects remain under-researched. To narrow this gap, this article investigates the effects of growth on poverty in Georgia using the official household survey data. The analysis shows that contrary to popular expectations, poverty has decreased only slightly thr…
Public attitudes towards the poor in the South Caucasus: A matter of solidarity and conditionality
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore public attitudes towards poor people in the South Caucasian countries. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on an analysis of data from the tenth round of the Caucasus Barometer survey, one of the most reliable sources of public opinion data in the region. Findings The majority of the population in Azerbaijan and Georgia would consent to paying higher taxes or reducing public services if t…
Retrenched, but Still Desired? Perceptions Regarding the Social Legitimacy of the Welfare State in Russia Compared with EU Countries
This article explores how the retrenchment of the Russian welfare state has affected Russians’ attitudes towards it. Using European Social Survey data, we find that the retrenchment has not eroded Russians’ strong preference for a comprehensive system, despite their dissatisfaction with its outcomes. Further, we find that in Russia, some of the individual socioeconomic characteristics have a different effect on people's attitudes to social welfar…
Eco-Social Divides in Europe: Public Attitudes towards Welfare and Climate Change Policies
In the face of accelerating global warming and attendant natural disasters, it is clear that governments all over the world eventually have to take measures to mitigate the most adverse consequences of climate change. However, the costs of these measures are likely to force governments to reconsider some of their tax and spending priorities, of which social spending is the largest expenditure item in developed welfare states. Unless carried out i…
Perceived Welfare Deservingness of the Unemployed in Eastern versus Western Europe: Similar Levels but Different Degrees of Polarization
In this paper, we investigate whether the communist legacy and economic and institutional differences between Eastern and Western European countries also translate into substantial differences in the perceived welfare deservingness of unemployed people in the two parts of the continent. Using European Social Survey data, we find that the Eastern Europeans are clearly more divided in their solidarity with the unemployed. However, contextual factor…
Popular preferences for a fully means-tested welfare provision model: Social and cross-national divides in Europe
Purpose Whether welfare provision should be broad-based or selectively targeted at the poor is one of the most common themes in social policy discourse. However, empirical evidence concerning people's preferences about these distributive justice principles is very limited. The current paper aims to bridge this gap, by analyzing Europeans' opinions about a hypothetical transformation of the welfare state that would provide social transfers and ser…
Determinants of Public Support for Eco-Social Policies: A Comparative Theoretical Framework
Global warming and some climate change policies pose additional social risks that necessitate novel responses from the welfare state. Eco-social policies have significant potential to address these challenges, but their wide-scale adoption will depend, among other factors, on public support. In the current article, we theorise how public opinion about eco-social policies is likely to be influenced by a set of contextual and individual-level facto…
Perceived welfare deservingness of needy people in transition countries: Comparative evidence from the Life in Transition Survey 2016
Transition to the market economy and the related restructuring of welfare systems has produced new vulnerabilities in the formerly communist countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia while simultaneously aggravating the existing ones. Given the limited fiscal capacities of the transition countries, this brings to the fore the issue of which of the new and old vulnerable groups of people are considered to be deserving of public support. Using d…
Are universal welfare policies really more popular than selective ones? A critical discussion of empirical research
Purpose In the social policy literature, it is often assumed that universal policies are more popular than selective ones among the public, because they supposedly generate broader self-interested coalitions and are considered morally superior. The present article revisits and challenges this assumption. Design/methodology/approach The article critically reviews the existing empirical literature on public support for universal and means-tested we…
Public attitudes toward economic growth versus environmental sustainability dilemma: Evidence from Europe
As global warming and other environmental threats intensify and become more visible, scientists are increasingly questioning the desirability of economic growth as an overarching national and global policy imperative. Several theories in environmental sociology and economics—degrowth, steady-state economy, and “agrowth”—offer compelling arguments that environmental sustainability and continuous economic growth are incompatible. However, there is …
Welfare solidarities in the age of mass migration: Evidence from European Social Survey 2016
Welfare opinion research has traditionally viewed migration as a potential hazard for welfare solidarity. In this article, we argue that while increased presence of foreigners can indeed make some people less supportive of public welfare provision in general or trigger opposition to migrants’ social rights, the link between migration and solidarity is not universally a negative one. Instead, many people can combine support for migration with high…
Two decades after Korpi and Palme’s “paradox of redistribution: What have we learned so far and where do we take it from here
Over two decades ago, Korpi and Palme (1998) published one of the most influential papers in the history of social policy discipline, in which they put forward a “paradox of redistribution”: the more countries target welfare resources exclusively at the poor, the less redistribution is actually achieved and the less income inequality and poverty are reduced. The current paper provides a state-of-the-art review of empirical research into that para…
Welfare state dissatisfaction and support for major welfare reform: Towards means‐tested welfare or a universal basic income
This research note investigates how people combine their views on two radically opposing welfare reforms: a universal basic income and a fully means‐tested welfare state. Using data from the 2016–2017 European Social Survey, we found that support for transformative welfare reform is rooted in perceptions of the performance of the current system. The preferred direction of reform, however, strongly depends on the specific aspects of the welfare st…
Determinants of the Willingness to Pay Higher Taxes for Better Public Healthcare Services: Cross-National Analysis
One of the ways to improve the financial sustainability of public healthcare services is to increase taxes, as health systems are subject to mounting financial strain, especially in advanced welfare states. Yet, there is very limited recent empirical evidence on people’s willingness to pay higher taxes for better healthcare and what factors influence it, especially in comparative perspective. To address this gap, the present article analyzes publ…
Dynamics of social protection spending in the post-communist countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union: An Enduring Legacy of the Transition Shock
The post-communist countries diverge massively with regard to social protection spending. This paper investigates its causes by estimating random-effects models using time-series cross-sectional data (1995–2019) for twenty-three transition countries. We find that part of the divergence relates to the severity of the economic shock suffered in the first years of transition, as well as economic performance and participation in global trade in the s…
Political polarization in the willingness to make sacrifices for the environment: A Cross-National Analysis
Corruption and the social legitimacy of the welfare state: A comparative cross-national analysis
In addition to reducing the effectiveness of welfare policies, a high level of corruption is argued to undermine the social legitimacy of the welfare state. In the current article, we subject this hypothesis to an empirical test by analyzing data from two rounds of the International Social Survey Program. We find that people have a greater preference for an extensive welfare state in countries where corruption is more widespread. Similarly, at th…
Eco-social divides in public policy preferences in Great Britain
Environmental and social policy measures can both complement and contradict each other. Recent environmental sociology literature suggests that this dual relationship can give rise to eco-social divides in European societies, as some people either endorse or reject both types of measures, while some support one set of policies but not the other. In the current paper, we use data from the British Social Attitudes survey to investigate eco-social d…
Does right-wing populism undermine public support for environmental policies in Europe
It has been argued that in addition to other political risks, the rise of right-wing populism (RWP) in Europe poses a significant threat to environmental objectives. In the present paper, we investigate whether different facets of RWP – populist attitudes, nationalism, nativism, and voting for RWP party – correlate with greater opposition to six different environmental policies in nine European countries. Our results indicate that nativism is con…
Political science (19 works) · Economics (18 works) · Social Policy and Reform Studies (13 works) · Welfare (13 works) · Law (12 works) · Law (12 works) · Politics (12 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Welfare state (10 works) · Public economics (9 works)