הסדנה למשפט וכלכלה שמחה לארח את יובל פלדמן

פרופסור יובל פלדמן יציג את מאמרו: 

How Majority Nationalism Laws Shape Inter-group Relations in Ethnically Diverse Societies: Experimental and Observational Evidence from Israel

ABSTRACT: 

Western societies are increasingly legislating majority values and culture in an effort to defend against increased ethnic diversification (majority nationalism laws, or MNLs). Yet the effect of these laws on the social fabric remains unclear. Existing research is still scarce, primarily correlational, and focuses on attitudinal shifts among members of the majority group. We take advantage of the enactment of Israeli Basic Law: The Nation (NL), a constitutional amendment that enshrines Jewish majority culture, to study the impact of MNLs on intergroup relations in Israel. We use three methods: (1) an experiment among majority (Jewish) and minority (Arab) populations to estimate the potential effect of the NL, before its enactment; (2) a panel study; and (3) a cross-sectional study before and after the NL was enacted. In the experiment conducted prior to the NL’s enactment, both Jews and Arabs perceived discrimination against Arabs under the NL as more legal, and social distance between Jews and Arabs deepened. However, in both the panel and cross-sectional studies, we find that only Arab respondents have changed their attitudes over time, as they come to believe they face greater legal discrimination; no such durable change occurred among our Jewish respondents. These findings contribute to the research of MNLs, intergroup relations in diverse societies, and the divergent expressive effects of law.