Beyond Backlash: Political Reactions to Socio-Economic Transformations

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

This panel investigates political reactions to changing socio-economic macro contexts. Trying to understand the global rise of populism and the increasing success of the radical right, many scholars have investigated public backlash to progressive change. However, reactionary backlash is not the only way how the public can react to structural transformations and political change. The papers of this panel seek to analyze in more depth, how changing macro contexts can affect public opinion and political behavior. They deal with different aspects of the state such as policies and bureaucracies. The regional focus of the panel includes Europe, the US and India. More specifically, paper 1 investigates backlash against the financialized housing market in a Berlin referendum. Paper 2 argues that the composition of bureaucracies affects support for redistribution. Based on a survey-experiment in the Northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh it shows that upper caste members are less supportive of redistribution when primed that their share of bureaucrats is decreasing. Paper 3 uses a survey instrument in the US to demonstrate that economic inequality increases outgroup hostility toward immigrants. In paper 4, the authors test how the ‘Social City Programme’ in Germany has affected political attitudes and political behavior. Taken together, the papers of this panel contribute to a better understanding of how socio-economic transformations can affect the political reactions of the public.

Sub Unit

• Division 11: Comparative Politics

Individual Presentations

• Political Backlash against Financialized Housing Markets - Andreas Wiedemann, Princeton University; Rafaela Dancygier, Princeton University

• When Losing the State Drives Opposition to Redistribution: An Experiment in India - Pavithra Suryanarayan, London School of Economics; Simon Chauchard, University Carlos 3 of Madrid

• “Levelling Up Communities”: How Place-Based Policies Affect Political Behaviour - Diane Bolet, University of Zurich; Sven Hegewald, ETH Zurich; Tarik Abou-Chadi, University of Oxford

Chair

• Tarik Abou-Chadi University of Oxford

Discussant

• Nina Obermeier King's College London