| Chapter 1: | Democratization in Modernizing Societies |
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That is, people with stronger self-expression values will more likely challenge government authorities through petitions and protests. In chapter 7, I demonstrate that strong self-expression values lead to more active civic participation: citizens with stronger self-expression values are more actively involved in civil society groups. Chapter 8 presents yet another linkage between self-expression values and challenge to government: political trust. Citizens with stronger self-expression values are more likely to be critical citizens: more likely to distrust government, they are hence more inclined to hold the government accountable.
In the concluding Part IV, chapter 9 links empirical findings with existing theories about value change and democracy. Specifically, is a prodemocratic culture forming in China? Is the pressure on the regime to introduce democratic changes building? How optimistic can we be about democratization in China in the upcoming years? I argue that given the existing evidence, it is reasonable to believe that by around 2020, China will likely see major institutional changes toward democratization, such as a free press and free elections. Chapter 10 wraps up the whole book.
Comparative Data
World Values Survey (WVS), a cross-national attitudinal survey, started in 1981, has been conducted around the world in four waves. The First Wave covered about two dozen countries largely concentrated in Western Europe, with only two East Asian countries (Japan and Korea) included.