Abstract

In this dissertation, I examine the importance of the liberal virtues of independence, responsibility, tolerance, and interpersonal trust to democratic consolidation and stability in eight countries. Four of the countries are classified as new democracies, while the other four are old or established democracies . My analysis begins with a discussion of the importance of virtues within liberal theory from Thomas Hobbes through John Rawls. To assess the empirical importance of liberal virtues in contemporary democracies at the level of mass opinion, I rely on data from the 1990 and 1995--97 World Values Survey. ;To summarize briefly, my statistical analyses provide strong support for the theoretical claims of Rawls and others that such liberal virtues as tolerance, trust, independence, and responsibility are conducive to democratic stability and to a more robust version of citizenship that goes well beyond the unfettered pursuit of private interests. Instead, I argue that individuals who score high on an index of liberal virtues are more likely than those who do not to discuss politics, to participate in politics, to resist authority, to view democracy as the best form of governance, and to demand equality of opportunity for all. I use these findings to argue against communitarians and other critics of liberalism who maintain that liberalism is in crisis because it leads to a fragmented, atomistic sense of personhood. On the contrary, I maintain, strong liberals in contemporary democracies display a keen understanding of the interdependence between their personal interests and broader, societal interests. As a result, I maintain, the supposed moral crisis of liberalism can more accurately be seen as a crisis of illiberalism.