Perceptions of Societal Developmental Hierarchies in Europe and Beyond

A Bulgarian Perspective

Bibliographic Data

ID7772178
AuthorsAttila Melegh (0000-0001-6577-6609, University of Michigan), Arland Thornton (0000-0002-1607-2047, Corvinus University of Budapest, corresponding author), Dimiter Philipov (Vienna Institute of Demography), Linda Young-Demarco, Linda Young‐demarco (0000-0002-9635-7287, University of Michigan)
Year2013
Volume29
Issue3
Pages603-615
Publication date2013-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Sociological Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0266-7215 • E-ISSN: 1468-2672
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/esr/jcs010
PMID23807821
PMCIDPMC3691096
OpenAlexW2143559805
LanguageEN
Citations received23
References cited17

We examine how ordinary citizens in Bulgaria view the developmental levels of European countries and certain states outside of Europe. Our research is motivated by the understanding that scholars and policy makers have for centuries used developmental hierarchies to characterize countries and that this perception of differential development has shaped interactions among different groups, countries and regions. We expect that views of such developmental hierarchies and models have great potential for influencing demographic and family behavior and political and cultural identities of ordinary people. Using data from a 2009 survey in Bulgaria we document that developmental hierarchies are widely perceived in Bulgaria, but are distributed differentially by age, education, and degree of urbanization. We also consider internal mechanisms underlying this hierarchical understanding of development and how hierarchical understandings may be related to national identities.

Bulgarian · Differential (mechanical device) · Economic geography · Economic growth · Geography · Perception · Perspective (graphical) · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Survey data collection · Urbanization · Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies · Psychology · Social Policy and Reform Studies · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics

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