Top?Down vs. Bottom?Up: The Long?Term Impact of Government Ideology and Personal Experience on Values

43 Pages Posted: 23 Mar 2013 Last revised: 16 Apr 2023

See all articles by Nicolas R. Ziebarth

Nicolas R. Ziebarth

Cornell University

Gert G. Wagner

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin); Berlin University of Technology; German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP)

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Abstract

This paper studies the long-term impact of societal socialization on values using the example of doping behavior in sports. We apply the German Reunification Approach to the microcosm of Berlin and exploit its 40-year long division into a capitalist and a communist sector. We deliberately chose attitudes toward doping to test the impact of ideology on values since (i) post-1989 disappointed economic hopes did not confound doping attitudes, and because of (ii) the systematic GDR state doping activities that became public in reunified Germany in the 1990s. Our findings demonstrate that even after half the time the division lasted, e.g. 20 years after the reunification, differences in convictions continue to persist. Personal extramural sports experience and age are equally strong predictors of individual attitudes and beliefs, especially in interaction with ideological socialization.

Keywords: performance‐enhancement drugs, Berlin, natural experiment, values, communism

JEL Classification: I18, K40, L83, N34, Z13

Suggested Citation

Ziebarth, Nicolas R. and Wagner, Gert G., Top?Down vs. Bottom?Up: The Long?Term Impact of Government Ideology and Personal Experience on Values. IZA Discussion Paper No. 7279, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2238312 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2238312

Nicolas R. Ziebarth (Contact Author)

Cornell University ( email )

Ithaca, NY
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.human.cornell.edu/bio.cfm?netid=nrz2

Gert G. Wagner

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) ( email )

Mohrenstraße 58
Berlin, 10117
Germany
+49 30 8 978 9290 (Phone)
+49 30 8 978 9200 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.diw.de/programme/jsp/MA.jsp?language=en&uid=gwagner

Berlin University of Technology ( email )

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Berlin, 10623
Germany
+30 8 978 9283 (Phone)

German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) ( email )

DIW Berlin
10108 Berlin, Berlin
Germany
+49 30 8978 9290 (Phone)
+49 30 8978 9109 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.diw/en/soep

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