Global Social Tolerance Index and multi-method country rankings sensitivity

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Zanakis, Stelios H.; Newburry, William; Taras, Vasyl
• 署名单位: State University System of Florida; Florida International University; University of North Carolina; University of North Carolina Greensboro
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2506
• DOI: 10.1057/jibs.2016.5
• 发表日期: 2016
• 页码: 480-497
• 关键词: indices and rankings; measurement and scale development issues; social tolerance; Gender equality; immigration and minorities; religion

摘要

Social tolerance refers to the extent of recognition and acceptance of differences, willingness to grant equal rights, and refraining from openly intolerant attitudes. Utilizing World Value Survey (WVS) data (56 countries, 83,000 usable respondents), we develop a Global Social Tolerance Index (GSTI) that incorporates gender, minority, immigrant, and religion tolerance dimensions. We develop this index using a multi-step data-driven procedure involving five data standardizations, seven weighting approaches, and five aggregation methods. They generate 124 replications for each country's index and rank, yielding a median overall position and several measures of rank sensitivity/robustness to different weighting, standardization, and aggregation approaches. It builds on prior social tolerance indexes in terms of scope and dimensionality, and avoids problems associated with equal or subjective weighting. The GSTI index/rankings provide a tool for IB scholars to examine nations' overall tolerance or tolerance regarding each dimension relative to other external criteria. Our procedure can be used to develop other indexes and rankings of nations or organizations within a country or region. In practice, any such non-participatory method should always serve as a starting point to facilitate deliberations of experts and/or decision-makers for policy recommendations.