Lake Wobegon Upside Down: The Paradox of Status-Devaluation.

Sgourev, Stoyan V.

This paper examines a cognitive bias whereby respondents in post communist Bulgaria systematically decrease their self estimates on material welfare in contrast to the well established status-enhancement bias. The analysis shows that the main reason for the occurrence of status-devaluation is the experience of relative deprivation in post communism, reflected in unfulfilled expectations and the perception of status loss relative to socialism. The bias is reinforced by a process of network closure under conditions of high uncertainty and accelerated social change. More homogeneous personal networks provide reference points, which make high-status actors more likely to see themselves as low-status.

BULGARIA; POSTCOMMUNIST societies; POSTCOMMUNISM; PUBLIC welfare; SOCIALISM

Social Forces, 2006, Vol 84, Issue 3, p1497

0037-7732

Academic Journal

10.1353/sof.2006.0065