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Inequality and the eroding base of liberal democracy
1Department of Sociology, Sogang University, South Korea.
Social Science Research
|November 14, 2024
Summary
Economic inequality shows little effect on support for democracy. However, rising inequality increases authoritarian inclination in liberal democracies, but decreases it in electoral democracies.
Area of Science:
- Political Science
- Sociology
- Comparative Politics
Background:
- Existing research suggests a negative link between economic inequality and democratic support.
- This study challenges the broad consensus by proposing nuanced hypotheses based on democratic attitudes and learning theories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the differential effects of economic inequality on citizens' normative support for democracy and authoritarian inclination.
- To examine how these effects vary across different types of democratic regimes.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of World Values Survey data from 41 democracies between 1995 and 2020.
- Testing hypotheses on the relationship between inequality, democratic support, and authoritarian inclination across regime types.
Main Results:
- Found minimal evidence for inequality negatively impacting normative support for democracy.
- Uncovered significant evidence that inequality's effect on authoritarian inclination varies by democratic regime type.
- In liberal democracies with high inequality, citizens showed increased attraction to authoritarian leaders; in electoral democracies, the opposite trend was observed.
Conclusions:
- The relationship between economic inequality and democratic support is more complex than previously assumed.
- Democratic regime type plays a crucial role in mediating the impact of inequality on citizens' political attitudes.
- Provides an explanation for the rise of authoritarian leaders' popularity in liberal democracies despite their flourishing.
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