ABSTRACT
Cultural identity and the role of communities are highly relevant topics in the postmodern age. The cultural thesis (CT) is far more problematic than most cultural theories. Outcomes in society and politics depend on several factors, one of which is culture. The employment of regression analysis has made it possible to estimate the relative impact of various cultural factors, as well as a number of contextual factors such as history and geography. The micro-level analysis, which was very broad in its range, covered a number of different outcomes referring to the political behaviour of citizens. The independent cultural variables employed include ethnicity, religion and values. The ethnic impact is most visible in plural or divided societies where ethnic cleavages take on a regional dimension. Multiculturalism is a new contract for advanced societies which aims at a different balance between communitarianism on the one hand and libertarianism or egalitarian liberalism on the other hand.
