World-Systems Approach to Global Inequalities in Effects of Individual Activism on Subjective Well-Being

The world is experiencing global crisis, yet proactive individuals can promote social change. Still, opportunities for activism and its impact are unequal in the modern stratified world-system. Therefore the following research question arises: what are the differences in degrees of causal influences among proactive orientation, individual activism, personal achievement, and subjective well-being between countries of core, semiperiphery, and periphery? The preceding theoretical implications and empirical findings by M. Kohn, S.K. Parker and C.G. Collins, M. Seligman, M. Argyle, C. Welzel and R. Inglehart, L. Beer and T. Boswell, I. Wallerstein were considered. The posed hypothesis is the following: degrees of causal influences among proactive orientation, individual activism, personal achievement and subjective well-being are higher in core societies than in semi-peripheral societies, and in semi-peripheral societies are higher than in peripheral societies. The data sets of World Values Survey 5th wave (2005-2008) with the sample of 49 countries with up to 69,381 respondents were used. Structural equation modeling and multiple group analysis in MPlus has been performed. In fact, the hypothesis was confirmed partially. It was proven that positive influence of person’s individual activism on subjective well-being is the strongest in the core, is weaker in the semiperiphery, and is even negative in the periphery. However, it was found that there are relatively small differences between degrees of influence of individual activism on personal achievement. This finding signifies that overall human actions do lead to accomplishments, regardless of structural conditions. Moreover, it was revealed that the degrees of influence of all other constructs are surprisingly reverse: they are stronger either in the semiperiphery or the periphery and are the weakest in the core. The highest degree of influence of proactive orientation on individual activism and personal achievement in the semiperiphery testifies that people with proactive orientation do can bring change there.