A Review of Ronald Inglehart’s Postmaterialist Thesis and Its Application to the Greater China Area (Sections 1–5)

Abstract

This master’s thesis introduces Ronald Inglehart’s postmaterialist model and Christian Welzel’s human development theory and discusses them in the context of the Greater China area. Through categorizing existing articles in this literature and identifying their potential limitations, this thesis suggests a need to re-examine a set of postmaterialist hypotheses with the help of the latest wave of the World Values Survey. Sections 1, 2, and 3 provide an overview of the conceptual framework of the postmaterialist model and the Asian “uniqueness” debate. Sections 4, 5, and 6 elaborate on the academic significance of comparing Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan based on their conformity to the postmaterialist hypotheses and the associated challenges. Sections 7, 8, and 9 present the empirical results from cross-tabulations of the 4-Item Post-Materialist Index and a range of individual demographic indicators across the three societies and investigate some contextual complexities in interpreting these statistical outputs given the diverse forms of social movements in Mainland China. With a combination of theoretical and empirical analyses, the tentative conclusion of this thesis is that no strong and consistent patterns could be found when applying the postmaterialist hypotheses across the three societies and closer looks at the value mechanisms embedded in the local realities are necessary for future researchers in this field. This thesis is a tribute to the lifetime accomplishments of Ronald Inglehart, who inspired me to become a researcher in the fields of political sociology, civic culture, and value change.

Keywords: Postmaterialist Values, Emancipative Values, Political Culture, Ronald Inglehart, Christian Welzel, The Greater China Area