Political Inequality in Rich Democracies
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6232805 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lea Elsässer (0000-0002-3980-3690, Institute of Political Science, Department of Social Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany), Alphons Schäfer (0000-0002-2538-0092, Institute of Political Science, Department of Social Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany), Armin Schäfer (0000-0002-8678-5819) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 469-487 |
| Publication date | 2023-06-15 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Annual Review of Political Science (BOOK_SERIES) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1094-2939 • E-ISSN: 1545-1577 |
| Publisher | Annual Reviews (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1146/annurev-polisci-052521-094617 |
| OpenAlex | W4327710962 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 55 |
| References cited | 116 |
In this review, we focus on political inequality in rich democracies. In the two main sections, we look at participation and representation, respectively. The former discusses whether rising income inequality and the weakening of trade unions have led to higher levels of inequality in participation. The latter looks at substantive and descriptive representation and asks how they might be linked. Research highlights that people with fewer individual resources participate much less than those with more resources, and collective organizations lose their ability to counter these trends. In terms of representation, the pattern is very similar. Not only are the opinions of decision-makers more congruent with those of the better off but policy choices also reflect their preferences more clearly. As the social distance between rulers and ruled increases, representative democracy gets more biased in favor of higher-status social groups
Democracy · Development economics · Economic inequality · Economics · Focus (optics · Inequality · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Representation (politics · Social inequality · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Politics and Representation · Law · Social Policy and Reform Studies
Class of origin and voting
Enabling 1.5 °C lifestyles in Europe
Modi regime and the disempowerment of ‘Other Backward Classes’
Unravelling the link between non-voting and political knowledge
“People like me”? Introducing Group Political Efficacy
The urban-rural divide in opinion-policy congruence
Threat of taxation and turnout of the rich
Who is exposed and who is harmed? Social disparities in flood exposure and impact in Pernambuco, Brazil
The comparative political economy of inequality
Group-based congruence and political support
Does inequality erode political trust
Fostering democratic engagement
The Political Economy of Optimal Taxation
Measuring Issue Congruence in Western Europe
Trade unions, not tribunates
The Practical Politics of Doughnut Economics and Climate Crisis
Are Less Affluent People Less Likely to Run for Political Office
Boundaries and varieties of republicanism
The erosion of democracy in an age of wealth inequality
Debilitated democracy
A ‘left behind’ habitus? understanding local political disengagement using Bourdieu
Income Inequality, Civic Participation, and Political Instability
The distribution of privately held business assets in the United States
Do the rich ditch politics? Evidence from Sweden
Exploring the influence of wealth on judicial decision making
Eine Frage des Geldes? Mediationsanalysen zum Effekt der Einkommensposition auf das Politikvertrauen
Ja, aber“
Trends in Political Science Research
The ISSP 2019 Social Inequality Module
People’s voices for sustainability – Exploring expectations for participatory democratic practices in Europe
Privileged interests on the party agenda
Are the Politically Active Better Represented
Time will tear us apart
Elite Politics, Mass Discontent and Political Inequality in South Korea
Gender equality frames do not impact public support for economic relief policy in times of crisis
Naeronambul
The economic and cultural dimensions of unequal policy representation
How can we agree on democratic procedures? Dimensions of conflict in the political process space
The gender gap in policy responsiveness in Spain
The impact of public opinion on voting and policymaking
Perceptions of policy responsiveness
Collective candidacies and mandates in Brazil
False consensus beliefs and populist attitudes
A Man’s World? The Policy Representation of Women and Men in a Comparative Perspective
Not so different
Political competition and representation in municipal councils
Widening the gap of political inequality? The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on political engagement
Poor choices? Examining the electoral connection behind unequal policy representation
Rising inequality and public support for redistribution
The Role of Preference Formation and Perception in Unequal Representation. Combined Evidence From Elite Interviews and Focus Groups in Germany
Organizing and Democracy
Is unequal representation the consequence of different voting behavior across income groups
Is My Wage Fair? Validating Fairness Perceptions among Women and Men
Moral Disapproval
Early-Life Exposures and Social Stratification
Participation and political equality
The Principles of Representative Government
The Unheavenly Chorus
What Unions No Longer Do
Voice, Trust, and Memory
The Participation Gap
Redrawing the Class Map
Unionization, Inequality and Redistribution
Unequal Political Participation Worldwide
Against Democracy
Leaders’ Impact on Public Spending Priorities
Unions, Voter Turnout, and Class Bias in the U.S. Electorate, 1964–2004
Unions, Norms, and the Rise in U.S. Wage Inequality
Misperceiving inequality
Democracy and Redistribution
Global Income Inequality, 1820–2020
Affluence and Influence
Union Membership and Political Participation in the United States
Economic Inequality and Political Responsiveness
Do ministers’ occupational and social class backgrounds influence social spending
The Inequality Turnout Nexus
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something True? A Comment on Lister's ‘Institutions, Inequality and Social Norms
Institutions, Inequality and Social Norms
The decline of the working-class vote, the reconfiguration of the welfare support coalition and consequences for the welfare state
Labor Unions and Minority Group Members’ Voter Turnout
Do the Affluent Override Average Americans? Measuring Policy Disagreement and Unequal Influence
State Income Inequality and Presidential Election Turnout and Outcomes
Why Bother? Rethinking Participation in Elections and Protests
Who Do European Parties Represent? How Western European Parties Represent the Policy Preferences of Opinion Leaders
Do Populist Parties Increase Voter Turnout? Evidence From Over 40 Years of Electoral History in 31 European Democracies
How well are citizens represented by their governments? Issue congruence and inequality in Europe
To have or not to have
Does the Numerical Underrepresentation of the Working Class in Congress Matter
Economic origins of dictatorship and democracy
The myth of the rational voter
The Political Representation of Economic Interests
Inequality in the public priority perceptions of elected representatives
Social Inequality in Political Participation
(N)one of us? The case for descriptive representation of the contemporary working class
Rising start-up costs of voting
Economic Discontent as a Mobilizer
"Should Blacks Represent Blacks and Women Represent Women? A Contingent "Yes
Competition, Party Dollars, and Income Bias in Voter Turnout, 1980–2008
Affluence and Congruence
The Poor Political Representation of the Poor in a Comparative Perspective
Inequality and Democratic Responsiveness
Voter Turnout and Political Equality
Voter turnout decline and stratification
Policy Polarization, Income Inequality and Turnout
Women’s Issues and Their Fates in the US Congress
Does the American Dream Matter for Members of Congress
Does Economic Inequality Depress Electoral Participation? Testing the Schattschneider Hypothesis
Community Income Inequality and the Economic Gap in Participation
How Labor Unions Increase Political Knowledge
Would the Dream of Political Equality Turn out to Be a Nightmare
Relative Policy Support and Coincidental Representation
Representation, Bicameralism, Political Equality, and Sortition
Organizing Power
Inequality, policy polarization and the income gap in turnout
Pink‐Collar Representation and Budgetary Outcomes in US States
Mind the gap
Are the Policy Preferences of Relatively Poor Citizens Under-represented in the Swiss Parliament
Not just money
Exploring the Subnational Dimension of Income Inequality
Does Class Shape Legislators’ Approach to Inequality and Economic Policy? A Comparative View
Ideological congruence and socio-economic inequality
Don’t play if you can’t win
Degrees of influence
The party road to representation
Social status, political priorities and unequal representation
Class and social policy in the knowledge economy
Cabinet ministers and inequality
Does economic inequality breed political inequality
What Drives Unequal Policy Responsiveness? Assessing the Role of Informational Asymmetries in Economic Policy-Making
The Politics of Inequality
Careerists Versus Coal-Miners
Declining Voter Turnout in Advanced Industrial Democracies, 1950 to 1997
Labor Unions, Political Representation, and Economic Inequality
Income Inequality and Policy Responsiveness
Women in Parliaments
The Economic Backgrounds of Politicians
Rethinking the Comparative Perspective on Class and Representation
Economic Inequality and Democratic Political Engagement
Informed Preferences? The Impact of Unions on Workers' Policy Views
Labor Organization and Electoral Participation in Industrial Democracies
Political Equality and Substantive Representation by Interest Groups
Rational Participation
Policy Alienation, Social Alienation and Working-Class Abstention in Britain, 1964–2010
Income Inequality and Policy Representation in the American States
Preference Gaps and Inequality in Representation
On the Limits to Inequality in Representation
Unequal policy responsiveness in the Netherlands
Income inequality, development and electoral turnout - New evidence on a burgeoning debate
The embarrassment of riches? A meta-analysis of individual-level research on voter turnout
Constituency Influence in Congress
When Do the Rich Win
Unequal policy responsiveness in Spain
Power, policy, and top income shares
Labor union membership and voting across nations
Income inequality and voting for radical right-wing parties
| Unique citing works | 55 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 18,33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 54 |