### Questioning Key Political Science Explanatory Tool
The Index of Emancipative Values is widely used but often flawed. This article reveals its measurement model has significant misspecifications.
### Inconsistent Scale Across Cultural Zones and Countries
Analysis shows the IEV scale isn't invariant across cultural zones or countries within the World Values Survey data.
### Mixing Different Value Dimensions
The index mixes various value dimensions, which distorts their true associations with political outcomes like effective democracy.
### Novel Bayesian Approach Reveals Pro-Choice Subdimension
Using a new approximate Bayesian method,
* Researchers identify that 'pro-choice' values likely form a distinct subdimension measurable cross-nationally.
### Conceptual Debate Contribution
The study also advances the discussion on whether emancipative values are reflective or formative constructs by offering empirical evidence and thought experiments.