Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 71 No. 2-3, 2001.
Pregledni rad
Social Development in a Value Trap
Siniša Zrinščak
; Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Sažetak
In the first part of the essay the author describes and defines the problems associated with terms such as 'traditional society', 'modern society' and 'postmodern society', which sociology uses as the most general theoretical constructs, and which are employed to identify and understand contemporary social processes. Although the theory of modernization is repleat with problems, it provides a framework for an easier description of a particular society, as well as recognizing factors that are obstacle for expected development. Research on the dominant values of some society contributes to that to a great extent.
The second part of the work elaborates on the current state of the Croatian society. The problems of development of Croatian society are linked to the legacy of the so called 'deviant modernization' of the communist period, and to the difficulties of the whole socio-economical transformation during the last ten years. The values survey testifies to the described problems, which is why the author particularly analyses the questions from the European Values Survey 1999, specifically the part conducted in Croatia. The survey reports low trust in other people, low trust in basic social institutions (except a satisfactory level of trust in authoritarian institutions), ambivalent views on regulations in the economic area and on tax evasion, bribe and similar phenomena. The interpretation of these questions is linked to data from other surveys conducted in Croatia, with special attention given to people's relations tο ownership and enterpreneurship, in view of negative and ethically problematic experiences with ownership transformation and privatization. The author argues that the normative interpretation of most answers from the area of ethical preferences is difficult if we neglect the fact that most answers reflect the contradictory transitional experience.
In the final reflections, the author again raises the question of evaluation of the current social processes. Here, according to the possibilities of the sociological approach, the author takes as a measure the modern development as it is found in developed parts of the world by whose measure the world becomes global. Additionally, the author proposes the thesis that Croatia needs modern development and faces big problems in that development. That is why he stresses the need for continuing the research about ways in which a disctintively high level of politicization of Croatian society could be decreased, and about the establishment of some crucial mode values such as the legitimacy of ownership, and the success and recognition of professionalism.
Ključne riječi
modernization; values; development; transition; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
29100
URI
Datum izdavanja:
20.5.2002.
Posjeta: 2.238 *