Opvattingen over inkomensongelijkheid: Een vergelijking tussen Oost-Europese en westerse landen voor en na 1989

Samenvatting

What norms do people in state-socialist societies hold on differences in occupational earnings before and after the transformation in 1989, compared to people in market-regulated societies? And, how can differences between and changes within these societies in norms on income inequality be explained? To find out, hypotheses are tested using data from the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), comparing state-socialist societies (Hungary and Poland) with market-regulated societies (Australia, West Germany, Great Britain, the USA, and the Netherlands) both before (1987) and after (1992) the transformation. Before the transformation in Eastern Europe the public was much more egalitarian than in market-regulated societies. The results show that the amount of income inequality people think is legitimate increased in all countries, but the increase was far more dramatic in state-socialist societies than in market-regulated societies. Differences in the class and demographic composition of the population in the different countries do not explain variations in inequality norms, but differences in perceptions of income inequality do. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Mens en Maatschappij is the property of Amsterdam University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)