Skip to main content

Morality Politics in a Secular Age

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Morality Politics in a Secular Age

Part of the book series: Comparative Studies of Political Agendas ((CSPA))

  • 383 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter summarizes the empirical findings and evaluates them in light of the theoretical expectations. The chapter also elaborates on the project’s leverage and alternative explanatory factors related to the policy selection (e.g., association of the topics with religion, trends of convergence/divergence) and discusses the theoretical implications for three different literature streams: morality policy literature, research on religion and politics, and agenda-setting research, including issue competition theory. It concludes by noting the political implications of the study and offering recommendations for policy makers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adams, Greg D. 1997. “Abortion: Evidence of an Issue Evolution.” American Journal of Political Science 41 (3): 718.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arsneault, Shelly. 2001. “Values and Virtue.” The American Review of Public Administration 31 (4): 436–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ayoub, Phillip. 2016. When States Come Out: Europe’s Sexual Minorities and the Politics of Visibility. Cambridge Studies in Contentious Politics. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barrington, Lowell W. 2013. Comparative Politics: Structures and Choices, 2nd ed. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumann, Markus, Marc Debus, and Jochen Müller. 2015. “Personal Characteristics of MPs and Legislative Behavior in Moral Policymaking.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 40 (2): 179–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumgartner, Frank R., and Bryan D. Jones. 1991. “Agenda Dynamics and Policy Subsystems.” The Journal of Politics 53 (4): 1044–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ———. 1993. Agendas and Instability in American Politics, 1st ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berry, Frances S., and William D. Berry. 1990. “State Lottery Adoptions as Policy Innovations: An Event History Analysis.” American Political Science Review 48 (2): 395–415. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1963526?origin=JSTOR-pdf.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boas, Taylor, and Amy E. Smith. 2015. “Religion and the Latin American Voter.” In The Latin American Voter: Pursuing Representation and Accountability in Challenging Contexts, edited by Ryan E. Carlin, Matthew M. Singer, and Elizabeth J. Zechmeister, 99–122. New Comparative Politics. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Budge, Ian, and Dennis Farlies. 1983. “Party Competition—Selective Emphasis or Direct Confrontation? An Alternative View with Data.” In Western European Party Systems: Continuity & Change, edited by Hans Daalder and Peter Mair, 267–305. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Casanova, José. 1994. Public Religions in the Modern World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2006. “Rethinking Secularization: A Global Comparative Perspective.” The Hedgehog Review 8 (1–2): 7–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaqués Bonafont, Laura, Anna M. Palau, and Frank R. Baumgartner. 2015. Agenda Dynamics in Spain. Comparative Studies of Political Agendas. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crowhurst, Isabel, Joyce Outshoorn, and May-Len Skilbrei. 2012. “Introduction: Prostitution Policies in Europe.” Sexuality Research and Social Policy 9 (3): 187–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davie, Grace. 2006. “Religion in Europe in the 21 Century: The Factors to Take into Account.” European Journal of Sociology 47 (2): 271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2007. “Vicarious Religion: A Methodological Challenge.” In Everyday Religion: Observing Modern Religious Lives, edited by Nancy T. Ammerman, 21–36. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dix, Robert H. 1989. “Cleavage Structures and Party Systems in Latin America.” Comparative Politics 22 (1): 23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engeli, Isabelle. 2009. “The Challenges of Abortion and Assisted Reproductive Technologies Policies in Europe.” Comparative European Politics 7 (1): 56–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2012. “Policy Struggle on Reproduction.” Political Research Quarterly 65 (2): 330–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engeli, Isabelle, Christoffer Green-Pedersen, and Lars T. Larsen (eds.). 2012. Morality Politics in Western Europe: Parties, Agendas and Policy Choices. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engeli, Isabelle, Christoffer Green-Pedersen, and Lars T. Larsen. 2013. “The Puzzle of Permissiveness: Understanding Policy Processes Concerning Morality Issues.” Journal of European Public Policy 20 (3): 335–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engeli, Isabelle, and Frédéric Varone. 2011. “Governing Morality Issues Through Procedural Policies.” Swiss Political Science Review 17 (3): 239–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engler, Fabian, and Kathrin Dümig. 2016. “Political Parties and MPs’ Morality Policy Voting Behaviour: Evidence from Germany.” Parliamentary Affairs 70 (3): 548–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Euchner, Eva-Maria. 2015. “Gekonntes Auflösen von Entscheidungsblockaden: Die Regulierung von Prostitution in Deutschland.” In Moralpolitik in Deutschland, edited by Christoph Knill, Stephan Heichel, Caroline Preidel, and Kerstin Nebel, 107–126. Wiesbaden: Springer VS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Euchner, Eva-Maria, and Caroline Preidel. 2016. “Politicisation Without Party Discipline: A New Perspective on Christian Democracy in Modern Times.” Parliamentary Affairs 70 (3): 465–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • EVS. 2015. European Values Study Longitudinal Data File 1981–2008 (EVS 1981–2008). GESIS Data Archive, Cologne. ZA4804 Data file Version 3.0.0. https://doi.org/10.4232/1.12253.

  • Fallend, Franz. 2004. “The Rejuvenation of an ‘Old Party’? Christian Democracy in Austria.” In Christian Democratic Parties in Europe Since the End of the Cold War, edited by Emmanuel Gerard and Steven van Hecke, 79–104. Leuven: Leuven University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fink, Simon. 2009. “Churches as Societal Veto Players: Religious Influence in Actor-Centred Theories of Policy-Making.” West European Politics 32 (1): 77–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2012. “An den Grenzen der Konkordanz? Die Bilanz von Konkordanzdemokratien in der Biopolitik.” In Konkordanzdemokratie: Ein Demokratietyp der Vergangenheit? edited by Stefan Köppl and Uwe Kranenpohl. 1, neue Ausg, 317–37. Tutzinger Studien zur Politik 2. Baden-Baden: Nomos.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flanagan, Scott C., and Lee Aie-Rie. 2003. “The New Politics, Culture Wars, and the Authoritarian-Libertarian Value Change in Advanced Industrial Democracies.” Comparative Political Studies 36 (3): 235–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foret, François. 2015. Religion and Politics in the European Union: The Secular Canopy. Cambridge Studies in Social Theory, Religion, and Politics. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox, Jonathan. 2015. Political Secularism, Religion, and the State: A Time Series Analysis of Worldwide Data. Cambridge Studies in Social Theory, Religion, and Politics. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green-Pedersen, Christoffer. 2007. “The Growing Importance of Issue Competition: The Changing Nature of Party Competition in Western Europe.” Political Studies 55 (3): 607–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2012. “A Giant Fast Asleep? Party Incentives and the Politicisation of European Integration.” Political Studies 60 (1): 115–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green-Pedersen, Christoffer, and Stefaan Walgrave (eds.). 2014. Agenda Setting, Policies, and Political Systems: A Comparative Approach. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hadj-Abdou, Leila. 2016. “The ‘Religious Conversion’ of the Austrian Freedom Party.” In Saving the People: How Populists Hijack Religion, edited by Marzouki, McDonnell, and Roy, 29–47. London: Hurst.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haider-Markel, Donald P. 2001. “Policy Diffusion as a Geographical Expansion of the Scope of Political Conflict: Same-Sex Marriage Bans in the 1990s.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 1 (1): 5–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heichel, Stephan, Christoph Knill, and Sophie Schmitt. 2013. “Public Policy Meets Morality: Conceptual and Theoretical Challenges in the Analysis of Morality Policy Change.” Journal of European Public Policy 20 (3): 318–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hennig, Anja. 2012. Moralpolitik und Religion. Bedingungen politisch-religiöser Kooperation in Polen, Italien und Spanien. Religion in der Gesellschaft 31. Würzburg: Ergon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobolt Binzer, Sara, and Robert Klemmensen. 2008. “Government Responsiveness and Political Competition in Comparative Perspective.” Comparative Political Studies 41 (3): 309–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Inglehart, Ronald, and Wayne E. Baker. 2000. “Modernization, Cultural Change, and the Persistence of Traditional Values.” American Sociological Review 65: 19–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katholische Kirche. 1994. Leben aus dem Glauben: Katholischer Erwachsenen-Katechismus. Freiburg and Basel: Herder.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knill, Christoph. 2005. “Introduction: Cross-National Policy Convergence: Concepts, Approaches and Explanatory Factors.” Journal of European Public Policy 12 (5): 764–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2013. “The Study of Morality Policy: Analytical Implications from a Public Policy Perspective.” Journal of European Public Policy 20 (3): 309–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knill, Christoph, and Caroline Preidel. 2014. “Institutional Opportunity Structures and the Catholic Church: Explaining Variation in the Regulation of Same-Sex Partnerships in Ireland and Italy.” Journal of European Public Policy 22 (3): 374–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2014.951066.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knill, Christoph, Caroline Preidel, and Kerstin Nebel. 2014. “Brake Rather Than Barrier: The Impact of the Catholic Church on Morality Policies in Western Europe.” West European Politics 37 (5): 845–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2014.909170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kollman, Kelly. 2007. “Same-Sex Unions: The Globalization of an Idea.” International Studies Quarterly 51 (2): 329–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2009. “European Institutions, Transnational Networks and National Same-Sex Unions Policy: When Soft Law Hits Harder.” Contemporary Politics 15 (1): 37–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kriesi, Hanspeter. 2010. “Restructuration of Partisan Politics and the Emergence of a New Cleavage Based on Values.” West European Politics 33 (3): 673–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2012. Political Conflict in Western Europe. Cambridge, UK and New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kriesi, Hanspeter, Edgar Grande, Martin Dolezal, Marc Helbling, Dominic Höglinger, Swen Hutter, and Bruno Wüest (eds.). 2012. Political Conflict in Western Europe. Cambridge, UK and New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuru, Ahmet T. 2009. Secularism and State Policies Toward Religion: The United States, France, and Turkey. Cambridge Studies in Social Theory, Religion, and Politics. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loftis, Matt W., and Peter B. Mortensen. 2018. “A Dynamic Linear Modelling Approach to Public Policy Change.” Journal of Public Policy 38 (4): 553–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • López, Silvia, Elin Peterson, and Raquel Platero. 2007. Issue Histories Spain: Series of Timelines of Policy Debates. Working Paper QUING Project. Vienna. http://www.quing.eu.

  • Marzouki, Nadia, Duncan McDonnell, and Olivier Roy (eds.). 2016. Saving the People: How Populists Hijack Religion. London: Hurst.

    Google Scholar 

  • Montpetit, Erik, Christine Rothmayr, and Frédéric Varone. 2007. The Politics of Biotechnology in North America and Europe: Policy Networks, Institutions, and Internationalization. Studies in Public Policy. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mooney, Christopher Z. (ed.). 2001a. Public Clash of Private Values: The Politics of Morality Policy. New York: Chatham House.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2001b. “The Public Clash of Private Values.” In Public Clash of Private Values: The Politics of Morality Policy, edited by Christopher Mooney, 3–18. New York: Chatham House.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2001c. “The Public Clash of Private Values.” In Public Clash of Private Values: The Politics of Morality Policy, edited by Christopher Z. Mooney, 3–18. New York: Chatham House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Müller, Wolfgang C., and Barbara Steininger. 1996. “Christian Democracy in Austria: The Austrian People’s Party.” In Christian Democracy in Europe: A Comparative Perspective, edited by David Hanley, 87–100. London: Pinter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oakley, M.R. 2009. “Agenda Setting and State Policy Diffusion: The Effects of Media Attention, State Court Decisions, and Policy Learning on Fetal Killing Policy.” Social Science Quarterly 90 (1): 164–78. http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0038-4941.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Outshoorn, J. 2001. “Debating Prostitution in Parliament: A Feminist Analysis.” European Journal of Women’s Studies 8 (4): 472–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Outshoorn, Joyce V. (ed.). 2004. The Politics of Prostitution: Women’s Movements, Democratic States and the Globalisation of Sex Commerce. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ozzano, Luca, and Alberta Giorgi. 2016. European Culture Wars and the Italian Case: Which Side Are You On? Routledge Studies in Religion and Politics. Abingdon, OX and New York, NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paternotte, D., and K. Kollman. 2013. “Regulating Intimate Relationships in the European Polity: Same-Sex Unions and Policy Convergence.” Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, in press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paternotte, David. 2011. Revendiquer le “mariage gay”: Belgique, France, Espagne. Bruxelles: éd. de l’Université de Bruxelles.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petrocik, John R. 1996. “Issue Ownership in Presidential Elections, with a 1980 Case Study.” American Journal of Political Science 40 (3): 825–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Platero, Raquel. 2007. “Love and the State: Gay Marriage in Spain.” Feminist Legal Studies 15 (3): 329–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10691-007-9064-z.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Preidel, Caroline. 2016. “Ist der Katholizismus noch entscheidend? Eine Analyse des Abstimmungsverhaltens im Deutschen Bundestag zum Embryonenschutz.” In Religionspolitik und Politik der Religionen in Deutschland: Fallstudien und Vergleiche, edited by Antonius Liedhegener and Gert Pickel, 83–109. Politik und Religion. Wiesbaden: Springer VS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rapp, Carolin, Richard Traunmüller, Markus Freitag, and Adrian Vatter. 2014. “Moral Politics: The Religious Factor in Referenda Voting.” Politics and Religion 7 (2): 418–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riker, William. H. 1986. The Art of Political Manipulation. Yale University Press. http://books.google.de/books?id=8beL_F2FmoYC.

  • Rose, Melody. 2001. “Divided Government and the Rise of Social Regulation.” Policy Studies Journal 29 (4): 611–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schiffino, Nathalie, Celina Ramjoué, and Frédéric Varone. 2009. “Biomedical Policies in Belgium and Italy: From Regulatory Reluctance to Policy Changes.” West European Politics 32 (3): 559–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, Sophie, Eva-Maria Euchner, and Caroline Preidel. 2013. “Regulating Prostitution and Same-Sex Marriage in Italy and Spain: The Interplay of Political and Societal Veto Players in Two Catholic Societies.” Journal of European Public Policy 20 (3): 425–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2013.761512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seeberg, Henrik B. 2013. “The Opposition’s Policy Influence Through Issue Politicisation.” Journal of Public Policy 33 (1): 89–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spoon, Jae-Jae, Sara B. Hobolt, and Catherine E. de Vries. 2014. “Going Green: Explaining Issue Competition on the Environment.” European Journal of Political Research 53 (2): 363–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spoon, Jae-Jae, and Heike Klüver. 2015. “Voter Polarisation and Party Responsiveness: Why Parties Emphasise Divided Issues, but Remain Silent on Unified Issues.” European Journal of Political Research 54 (2): 343–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Timmermans, Arco, and Gerard Breeman. 2012. “Morality Issues in the Netherlands: Coalition Politics Under Pressure”. In Morality Politics in Western Europe: Parties, Agendas and Policy Choices, 35–61. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • US Department of State. 2013. “International Religoius Freedom Report for 2013.” https://www.google.de/url?sa = t&rct = j&q = &esrc = s&source = web&cd = 12&cad = rja&uact = 8&ved = 0ahUKEwjV-MHZie_SAhVoP5oKHWNBDYM4ChAWCC4wAQ&url = https%3A%2F%2Fwww.state.gov%2Fdocuments%2Forganization%2F222489.pdf&usg=AFQjCNFaXkLBLDIJsVC_pkud3m03nBxWMQ&bvm=bv.150475504,d.bGs.

  • Van de Wardt, Marc, Catherine de Vries, and Sara B. Hobolt. 2014. “Exploiting the Cracks: Wedge Issues in Multiparty Competition.” The Journal of Politics 76 (4): 986–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Kersbergen, Kees. 2008. “The Christian Democratic Phoenix and Modern Unsecular Politics.” Party Politics 14 (3): 259–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Kessel, Stijn. 2016. “Using Faith to Exclude: The Role of Religion in Dutch Populism.” In Saving the People: How Populists Hijack Religion, edited by Marzouki, McDonnell, and Roy, 61–79. London: Hurst.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vatican. 1993. Catechism of the Catholic Church. Citta del Vaticano. http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM.

  • Vergari, Sandra. 2001. “Morality Politics and the Implementation of Abstinence-Only Sex Education: A Case of Policy Compromise.” In Public Clash of Private Values: The Politics of Morality Policy, edited by Christopher Mooney, 201–13. New York: Chatham House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vliegenthart, Rens, Stefaan Walgrave, and Corine Meppelink. 2011. “Inter-party Agenda Setting in the Belgian Parliament: The Role of Party Characteristics and Competition.” Political Studies 59 (2): 368–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wagenaar, Hendrik, and Sietske Altink. 2012. “Prostitution as Morality Politics or Why It Is Exceedingly Difficult to Design and Sustain Effective Prostitution Policy.” Sexuality Research and Social Policy 9 (3): 279–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eva-Maria Euchner .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Euchner, EM. (2019). Morality Politics in a Secular Age. In: Morality Politics in a Secular Age. Comparative Studies of Political Agendas. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10537-2_9

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics