Roland S Persson Öppnas i nytt fönster., "Ability climates in Europe":

The objective of this study was to study whether ability climate is a useful construct in exploring whether there exists a pattern of how ability is valued in the countries and cultures of Europe. Based on Moscovici’s (1973; 1989) Theory of Social Representations collectively compiled lists of famous and notable individuals were analyzed. In all 29 lists (ie. one for each country) together containing 20.516 individuals perceived to be notable were subjected to a content analysis and a subsequent frequency analysis. Results suggest that as based on dominant ability clusters there are three types of European ability climates: A uniform ability climate; a divergent ability climate and a diverse ability climate, each of which is characterized by what category of abilities appear to be particularly valued. The reliability of data derived from a collectively assembled database is discussed as is the possible implications of these findings.