Young People's Views on Distributive Justice, Rights, and Obligations: a Cross-cultural Study

Authors: Jonsson, Britta; Flanagan, Constance

Source: International Social Science Journal, Volume 52, Number 164, June 2000 , pp. 195-208(14)

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Abstract:

This article is based on a cross-cultural research project: `Adolescents' interpretation of the social contract', in which values of young people in seven nations are compared. The goal of the project is to understand how adolescents across different nations interpret `the social contract`, that is their concepts of the relationships between individuals and society. Young people today grow up in a harsh world where they are increasingly expected to rely on themsleves, and seem to be oriented more towards their own self-achievement than to broader social commitments. The article uses the evidence from a range of countries to highlight young people's opinions and views about distributive justice and public politics. These could be interpreted as a reflection of contemporary waves of liberalism and market ethics, but also as an expression of a collapse and shift of traditional social contracts between individuals and societies. It is argued that political stability may be undermined if the trend towards individualisation in post-modern societies erodes the networks of community connections and trust, which are the cement of a strong civil society.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-2451.00251

Affiliations: 1: Stockholm Institute of Education

Publication date: 2000-06-01