Research Publications

This is a reverse choronological list of selected publications with short explantion of each item. For full text copies try below or check out Research Gate.

Matthew Ruby, João Graça, & Olli, E. (2024). Vegetarian, vegan, or plant-based? Comparing how different labels influence consumer evaluations of plant-based foods. Appetite. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2024.107288

Abstract: Our findings may be of use to non-academics who wish to promote the sale of different plant-based foods, in that they suggest a “plant-based” label will lead to more positive consumer attitudes. These findings also suggest that the traits pure and ethical may be leveraged as potentially relevant selling points to frame and communicate (vegan, vegetarian, plant-based) labeled products.

Olli, E., & Swedlow, B. (2022). Cultural theory, rejection of cultural bias, and party preference. Party Politics. https: //doi.org/10.1177/13540688211071065

Abstract: What explains party preference? Ideology and values do but these explanations are undertheorized. We offer grid- group cultural theory (CT) to provide a theory of ideology and values to explain party preference. We aim to demonstrate the value of an operationalization of CT that includes rejection of cultural bias (rejection of political values and beliefs) to explain party preference. Our study builds on research that recognizes the importance of negative partisanship and of rejecting cultural biases and other values in party choice. We analyze the influence of cultural biases on party preference in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. We find that respondents’ top two cultural biases explain up to a third of the variation in respondents’ party support in these Nordic multi-party systems and that rejection of cultural biases is an important determinant of party preference. We discuss how our analysis can be extended to other party systems including those with only two major parties.

Olli, E. (2012). Rejected Cultural Biases Shape Our Political Views: A Migrant Household Study and Two Large-Scale Surveys [PhD, University of Bergen]. https://hdl.handle.net/1956/6103

Abstract: Building upon the work by Mary Douglas, cultural theory describes four ways of organizing, also known as ways of life or cultures namely hierarchical, egalitarian, individualistic, and fatalistic ways of life. Many other approaches emphasize the differences between the majority population and the migrants. In contrast to this usage, the present thesis shows how migrants ways of organizing their households are actually familiar to us, even when these migrants come from distant countries. The author suggests that this familiarity provides a common cultural basis for communication and interaction, even between peoples who are commonly seen as being radically different.
The bulk of the argument given above is based on a qualitative study consisting of in- depth interviews of seventeen migrant households presently living in Norway. The households originate from Vietnam, Chile, and Sri Lanka, and eight of them are presented in detail. They are first described according to their internal organizations (based on their economic decisions, their justifications for the division of housework, and their behaviors during interviews) and their external social relations (how they justify giving and receiving support from others). Households stated preferences are compared with theoretically-based predictions of attitudes toward institutions, trust, social support, the distribution of resources, blame, the view of democracy, and political decision making. Contrary to the expectations of mainstream political science, this study finds a strong relationship between a households way of organizing and its views on society and politics. Rather than relying on the country of origin as a basis for categorization, migrant households relations with the state and the majority society can be better understood by knowing how they organize their households.
Cultural theory is primarily a theory about institutions, but sometimes it also makes claims about people. In addition to the arguments made about migrants, this thesis also argues that people are not just miniature institutions and suggests two theoretical improvements to cultural theory. First, people do not only support one cultural bias, they can also reject or support the other cultural biases. Second, at the level of the individual, the effects of cultural biases are not additive, nor are they independent of each other; biases must be studied in combinations. Biases are better understood as a package of meanings rather than existing as separate items. In short, cultural biases are patterns of meaning that are not easy to summarize and analyze numerically, and the relevant number of biases is of course an empirical question.
The argument presented here about cultural biases is based on quantitative data extracted from the 1999 Nordic Cultures Survey, which consists of representative samples from Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland (n=4833). Data are also extracted from the 1995 Norwegian Environmental Protection Survey, which consists of representative samples from 12 environmental organizations and from the general population in Norway (n=3106).

Brian Nosek et al. 2009. National differences in gender - science stereotypes predict national sex differences in science and math achievement. PNAS 2009 106:10593-10597. more info with tables and description of data and the results. (ask for a copy).

Abstract: About 70% of more than half a million Implicit Association Tests completed by citizens of 34 countries revealed expected implicit stereotypes associating science with males more than with females. We discovered that nation-level implicit stereotypes predicted nation-level sex differences in 8th-grade science and mathematics achievement. Self-reported stereotypes did not provide additional predictive validity of the achievement gap. We suggest that implicit stereotypes and sex differences in science participation and performance are mutually reinforcing, contributing to the persistent gender gap in science engagement.

Common Measures for Discrimination
Common Measures for Discrimination II - Recommendations for Improving the Measurement of Discrimination (2006) - edited by Eero Olli and Birgitte Kofod Olsen. pdf

This is the final report from a two year project funded by European Commission with experts from Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Portugal.

Towards Common Measures for Discrimination - exploring possibilities for combining existing data for measuring discrimination (2005) - edited by Eero Olli and Birgitte Kofod Olsen. pdf.

This is the preliminary report where explore data availability and possibilities for measuring discrimination in the five participating countries, which have very different approaches to public data.

Underveis mot et bedre vern Jeg har skrevet statistikk kapitlet i rapportene 2003 (english version) og 2004-2005.

This is a yearly report from Senter mot etnisk diskriminering, which was later incorporated to The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombuds office.

Ta innvandrere i ed 17. mai! Kronikk i Dagbladet 15.5.2003.

Utfordringen ligger i å få nordmenn til å godta innvandrerne som fullverdige samfunnsmedlemmer. Regjeringens forslag for ny statsborgerskaps seremoni bidrar ikke til dette, men en ed-seremoni på 17. mai vil sette fokus på nye statsborgere i lokalsamfunnet.

Også de andre kan velge en levemåte, 2002, Internasjonal migrasjon og etniske relasjoner 1997-2001 (s. 117-123). Oslo: NFR, Området for kultur og samfunn. pdf.

En sluttrapport til IMER programmets oppsummerings konferanse. Skrevet noen år før prosjektslutt.

Olli, Eero, Grendstad, Gunnar, & Wollebæk, Dag. Correlates of Environmental Behaviors: Bringing Back Social Context. 2001 Environment and Behavior, 33(3), pp. 181-208. pdf-file.

Contrary to expectations surveys can be used to estimate the importance of social participation. Social involvement with other environmentalists has a a larger influence on the number of environmentally possitive private behavior, than attitudes.

Language Use and Context as Sources for Meaning in Research Interviews Conducted in Norwegian as Second Language. 2001. Unpublished Philosophy of Science Essay, University of Bergen, Bergen. pdf-file.

It is possible with a pragmatic perspective of language and language use, to establish reasons for why we are able to understand each others, even if one of the participants is not speaking his or hers native language.

Rejection of cultural biases and effects on party preference. 1999. In Michael Thompson & Gunnar Grendstad & Per Selle (Eds.), Cultural theory as political science (pp. 59-74). London: Routledge. pdf-file.

One new theoretical finding: rejection of organizing principles is important determinant of party preference. Methodological founding: because combinations of attitudes thus become important, regression is less suited as analytical technique. Empirical analysis shows that it is possible to understand the conflicts between parties as a well structured structured ideological space in cultural theoretical terms.

The Influence of Behavioral Strategy and Social Structure on a Migrants' Relation to a Workplace. Paper presented at the 11th Nordic Migration Research Conference 28-30 October 1999. Gothenburg. pdf-file.

Cultural theory can be used to describe conflictual situations at workplaces, and thus also to find possible solutions to problems that seem to be related to 'culture'. No data, just an idea for further research.

Individ og kultur. 1996 I Gunnar Grendstad & Per Selle (ed.), Kultur som Levemåte (pp. 200-220). Oslo: Samlaget. Les utdrag av kapittelen.

This is a presentation of the theoretical arguments from my masters thesis, with some empirical exemplification.

Cultural Theory Specified - The Coherent, Sequential, and Synthetic Individual Approaches. 1995 Unpublished Masters thesis, University of Bergen, Bergen. pdf-files.

The main point: Cultural theory must define the relationship between the collective (culture) and individual before surveys can be utilized. Three different definitions are presented, each leading to a specific analytical models. The same hypothesis is examined by performing three different analysis, each based on a different specification of the relation between individual and culture.