Has the middle secured its share of growth or been squeezed
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6407801 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Brian Nolan (0000-0002-5992-4182, Institute for New Economic Thinking, Department of Social Policy and Intervention, and Nuffield College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK), David Weisstanner (0000-0002-4245-898X, Institute for New Economic Thinking, Department of Social Policy and Intervention, and Nuffield College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 426-438 |
| Publication date | 2021-02-23 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | West European Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0140-2382 • E-ISSN: 1743-9655 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/01402382.2020.1727173 |
| OpenAlex | W3008572240 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 18 |
In striking contrast to the notion that democracy is under threat because 'the middle' has been 'squeezed' over recent decades, Iversen and Soskice (2019 Iversen, Torben, and David Soskice (2019). Democracy and Prosperity: Reinventing Capitalism through a Turbulent Century. Princeton: Princeton University Press. [Google Scholar]) in their book, Democracy and Prosperity, present an optimistic account about the future of democracy. This paper examines their key assumption that the symbiosis between democracy and advanced capitalism is underpinned by electorally decisive middle-class voters that secure a constant share of economic growth. Using comprehensive data on income trends, it is shown that this claim does not stand up to scrutiny: median income has often lagged behind the mean in household surveys, rather than kept pace with it as Iversen and Soskice claim. Strong real income growth has generally not compensated the middle for lagging behind. The varying fortunes of the middle in securing its share of economic growth have implications for the broader debate about inequality and democracy
Capitalism · Democracy · Democratization · Development economics · Economic growth · Economic inequality · Economics · Inequality · Market economy · Middle class · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Prosperity · Scrutiny · Economic Theory and Policy · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Income, Poverty, and Inequality · Law
Positional Deprivation and Support for Redistribution and Social Insurance in Europe
Collective narcissism as a framework for understanding populism
There is more to national economies than the national economy
The rightward shift and electoral decline of social democratic parties under increasing inequality
Rising income inequality and the relative decline in subjective social status of the working class
Who Is Left Behind? Economic Status Loss and Populist Radical Right Voting
Stagnating incomes and preferences for redistribution
Top Incomes Over the Twentieth Century
Populism and the economics of globalization
Positional deprivation and support for radical right and radical left parties
Generating Prosperity for Working Families in Affluent Countries
Introduction
Under Pressure
Inequality
Top Incomes in the Long Run of History
Shrinking and shouting
Yardsticks of inequality
A Rational Theory of the Size of Government
The Global Economics of European Populism
Democracy and Prosperity
Rising Inequality and the Politics of Redistribution in Affluent Countries
The Top 1 Percent in International and Historical Perspective
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,17 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2025 (6) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |