Project coordinator

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Gerhards

Project researcher

Michael Hölscher, M.A.

Research question

The European Union has been enlarged by ten countries, two more will probably follow. The mainstream discourse centers on the economic disparities between the former and the new members. Instead our main thesis is that a successful integration of the new countries is not only based on questions of economic differences, but is also influenced by cultural heterogeneities. The bigger they are, the greater will be the difficulties aroused by the eastward enlargement – an argument which is often made in the context of a potential future accession of Turkey.

In the project we analyse the differences between the old and new EU member states and the three candidate countries in five central value spheres: religion, family/partnership/gender roles, economy, welfare state, politics.

Research methods

The main sources of information are secondary analyses of representative surveys, which where conducted in western and eastern european countries. The focus lies on the "European Values Study" (1999/2000) and some surveys of the "International Social Survey Programme". Quantitative analyses are supplemented by qualitative informations about the countries.

Duration

01.01.2002 – 31.03.2005

Funding

The project is funded by the "VolkswagenStiftung"

Publications

• Gerhards, Jürgen & Silke Hans (2011): Why not Turkey? Attitudes towards Turkish Membership in the EU among Citizens in 27 European Countries. Journal of Common Market Studies 49(4): 741-766.
• Gerhards, Jürgen (2010): Non-Discrimination Towards Homosexuality: The European Union’s Policy and its Support among Citizens in 27 European Countries. International Sociology 25 (1): 5-28.
• Gerhards, Jürgen, Sylvia Kämpfer & Mike S. Schäfer (2009): Gender Equality: The EU Script and its Support in the Member States. Sociology 43(3): 515-534.
• Gerhards, Jürgen (2009): Culture. Differences and Communalities between the Member Countries of the European Union. In: Stefan Immerfall & Göran Therborn (eds.): Handbook of European Societies edited by New York:. Springer, S. 157-215.
• Gerhards, Jürgen (2009): The Idea of Equality of All Europeans and How It Is Supported by the Citizens of the European Union. In: Yilmaz Esmer, Hans-Dieter Klingemann & Bi Puranen (eds.): Religion, Democratic Values and Political Conflict (Festschrift in Honor of Thorleif Pettersson). Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, S. 61-72.
• Gerhards, Jürgen & Holger Lengfeld (2008): Support for European Union Environmental Policy by Citizens of EU Member and Accession States. Comparative Sociology 7: 215-241.
• Gerhards, Jürgen & Holger Lengfeld (2008): The Growing Remit of the EU in Climate Change Policy and Citizens’ Support across the Union. Journal of European Social Policy18: 337-341.
• Gerhards, Jürgen (2008): Free to Move? The Acceptance of Free Movement of Labour and Non-Discrimination among Citizens of Europe. European Societies 10: 121-140.
• Gerhards, Jürgen & Philipp Hessel (2008): Das Globalisierungsskript der Europäischen Union und seine Unterstützung bei den Bürgerinnen und Bürgern in 15 Mitgliedsländern der EU [The European Union’s Script of Globalisation and its Support by Citizens in 15 Member States]. Berliner Journal für Soziologie 18(4): 596-622.
• Gerhards, Jürgen (2007): Cultural Overstretch? The Enlargement of the European Union and the Cultural Differences between Old and New Member States and Turkey. London/New York: Routledge.
• Gerhards, Jürgen & Holger Lengfeld (2006): Das Ökologieskript der Europäischen Union und seine Akzeptanz in den Mitglieds- und Beitrittsländern der EU [The European Union’s Ecological Script and Its Acceptance by the Citizens of the EU Member and Candidate Countries]. Zeitschrift für Soziologie 35: 24-40.
• Gerhards, Jürgen (2006): Cultural Overstretch? Die Erweiterung der EU und die kulturellen Unterschiede zwischen den Mitglieds- und Beitrittsländern und der Türkei [Cultural Overstretch? EU’s Enlargement and Cultural Differences Between Member and Accession States and Turkey]. In: Karl-Siegbart Rehberg (ed.): Soziale Ungleichheit - Kulturelle Unterschiede. Verhandlungen des 32. Kongresses der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie in München, Teil 1. Frankfurt/M.: Campus, S. 326-338.
• Gerhards, Jürgen (2006): Die Europäische Union, der Beitritt der Türkei und das Schweigen der Soziologie [The European Union, the Accession of Turkey and the Silence within Sociology]. In: Karl-Siegbart Rehberg (ed.): Soziale Ungleichheit - Kulturelle Unterschiede. Verhandlungen des 32. Kongresses der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie in München, Teil 2. Frankfurt/M.: Campus, S. 1103-1111.
• Hölscher, Michael & Jürgen Gerhards (2006): Europäischer Verfassungspatriotismus und die Verbreitung zentraler Werte in den Mitglieds- und Beitrittsländern der EU und der Türkei. In: Helmut Heit (ed.): Die Werte Europas. Verfassungspatriotismus und Wertegemeinschaft in der EU? Münster u.a.: Lit Verlag.
• Hölscher, Michael (2006): Wirtschaftskulturen in der erweiterten EU. Die Einstellungen der Bürgerinnen und Bürger im europäischen Vergleich. Wiesbaden: Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
• Gerhards, Jürgen Gerhards, in Zusammenarbeit mit Michael Hölscher (2005): Kulturelle Grenzen der Europäischen Union. Unterschiede zwischen den Mitglieds- und Beitrittsländern und der Türkei. Wiesbaden (2., durchgesehene Auflage 2006).
• Gerhards, Jürgen (2005): Kulturelle Überdehnung? Die Erweiterung der EU und die kulturellen Unterschiede zwischen der EU und der Türkei [Cultural Overstretch? The Enlargement of the EU and Cultural Differences between EU and Turkey]. Der Bürger im Staat 55(3): 98-103.
• Gerhards, Jürgen (2004): Europäische Werte – Passt die Türkei kulturell zur EU [European Values – Is Turkey Culturally Compatible With Europe?]. Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte B 38: 14-20.
• Gerhards, Jürgen & Michael Hölscher (2003): Kulturelle Unterschiede zwischen Mitglieds- und Beitrittsländern der EU. Das Beispiel Familien- und Gleichberechtigungsvorstellungen [Cultural Differences between Member States and Accession Countries of the European Union. The Example of Family Values]. Zeitschrift für Soziologie 32: 206-225.

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