Alex Inkeles

His central concern over the long term was to compare and analyze the essential features of modern social systems and the interaction of personality and social context in that context. The objective was to discover the characteristics of nations that contribute to stability and continuity, and those that make for dynamism and change. These interests guided his research on the Soviet social system, on national character, on individual modernity in developing countries, and more recently on the social and political development of Japan, China, and India. His final research sought to ascertain whether, and if so how far, the advanced industrial nations are converging on a common model of social and cultural organization.