Cross-national Findings Research Articles

Religion, Modernization, and Utilization of Western Health Care

A strong tradition in sociology argues that the seeds of secularization and rational outlook have long been present in Christianity per se. Presented in this paper are cross-national research findings from a 136 nation sample that the proportion of Christians in a society is positively associated with that society's degree of modernization; and that modernization in turn, leads to a tendency to practise and utilize Western scientific medicine. These findings remain strong even after industrialized nations are excluded from analyses.

Dependent Industrialization in the World Economy

Recent cross-national studies that analyze the impact of multinational corporations in the world economy on economic growth and inequality in peripheral and core countries have been interpreted as empirical tests of "dependencia" theories. Such a limited interpretation does not fully acknowledge the theoretical approach of some researchers who contributed to the findings. Although several cross-national findings are not at variance with dependencia expectations, at least one finding is. This relates to "dependent industrialization." This article addresses the theoretical and empirical debate that followed a survey of the cross-national research. In the theoretical section dependent industrialization is discussed. The argument is in important ways different from dependencia thoughts, especially concerning the prediction of long-term economic growth. In the empirical section the recent empirical critique is addressed and reanalyses are performed. The findings suggest indirect support for some propositions developed in the theoretical section.

Economic Policy and Multinational Corporations in Development: The Measurable Impacts in Cross-National Persepective

In this article we report the main findings of a research project at the University of Zurich on Multinational Corporations, Economic Policy and National Development in the World System. For reasons of space the focus is on cross-national empirical findings rather than on theoretical discussion. Dimensions of economic policy against multinational corporations are established and operationalized. A combination of these dimensions is the basis of a typology of economic policy. The article presents the distribution of 73 countries according to different types of economic policy for the period 1960 to 1975. Analyses of the determinants and concomitants of economic policies are reported as well as their effect on foreign capital and development. Results are presented in the context of cross-national findings of how multinational corporations affect development. These findings relate to the impact of multinational corporations on subsequent economic growth and on social inequality.

Male and Female Differences in Elite Political Participation: An Examination of the Effects of Socioeconomic and Familial Variables

O NN E OF THE MOST consistent cross-national research findings is the underrepresentation of women in political elites. Yet, little scholarship based on survey research exists analyzing this phenomenon. This is due both to the scarcity of women in political elites, and to the difficulties of elite research generally. American scholars interested in this issue have primarily studied political party elites, especially delegates to the national conventions of the two major parties.1 These delegations have contained sufficient numbers of women to analyze, and their members are relatively easy to locate for survey purposes. Our analysis utilizes a different data base. The financial disclosure laws that went into effect in 1972 created the opportunity for a systematic study of contributors of more than $100 to presidential candidates. We have completed a national survey of these contributors; our findings are based upon 1696 respondents of whom 17.5 percent, or 296, are women.2 Sufficient absolute numbers of women as well as men have thus been obtained for