Globalization, Automation, and the Welfare State
Evidence from the OECD and South Korea
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9956789 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Seobin Han (0009-0007-4241-4147, The Ohio State University), Hyeok Yong Kwon (0000-0003-4986-4312, Korea University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 73 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 1524-1546 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0032-3217 • E-ISSN: 1467-9248 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00323217241305293 |
| OpenAlex | W4405545943 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 51 |
How do subjective economic threats from globalization and technological changes shape social policy preferences? In this article, we argue that structural economic shifts increase subjective job insecurity. Consequently, individuals are more likely to seek immediate compensation for anticipated income and job losses, leading to a preference for short-term social consumption policies over social investment policies focused on long-term education and skill development. We find strong evidence of the effects of automation threats in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Risks that Matter 2020 survey. In addition, an original survey experiment conducted in South Korea shows that globalization threats have an even stronger impact than automation threats on support for social consumption policies. Our study demonstrates that rising economic insecurity, driven by structural changes, is increasing the demand for social consumption policies at the expense of social investment in an era of austerity. This suggests a potential reshuffling of pro-welfare coalitions
Austerity · Consumption (sociology · Development economics · Economic globalization · Economic growth · Economics · Globalization · Investment (military · Market economy · Political science · Public economics · Sociology · Welfare · Welfare state · Employment and Welfare Studies · Social Policy and Reform Studies · Taxation and Compliance Studies
Explaining Job Polarization
Partisan Politics in the Global Economy
Risk Inequality and Welfare States
Who Wants What?
Importing Political Polarization? The Electoral Consequences of Rising Trade Exposure
The Politics of Advanced Capitalism
Labor Market Competition and Individual Preferences Over Immigration Policy
Did State Responses to Automation Matter for Voters
High-skilled outsiders? Labor market vulnerability, education and welfare state preferences
Preferred policy responses to technological change
Employment insecurity and social policy
Political machinery
Subjective economic insecurity and attitudes toward immigration and feminists among voters on the Right in Canada
Explaining the rise of populism in European democracies 1980–2018
Income inequality is unrelated to perceived inequality and support for redistribution
Robots and Jobs
Winners and losers
Labour Market Shocks and the Demand for Trade Protection
Social Investment, Redistribution or Basic Income? Exploring the Association Between Automation Risk and Welfare State Attitudes in Europe
Public demand for social investment
Voting for Populism in Europe
The Trade Origins of Economic Nationalism
Political Responses to Economic Shocks
The Welfare State with Private Alternatives
How Distributional Conflict over In-Kind Benefits Generates Support for Far-Right Parties
Neither Left Behind nor Superstar
(Mis)Attributing the Causes of American Job Loss
The Future of Welfare State Politics
Misattributed blame? Attitudes toward globalization in the age of automation
Globalization and the Demand-Side of Politics
Who Can Assert Ownership Over Automation? Workplace Technological Change, Populist and Ethno-nationalist Rhetoric, and Candidate Support
Automation versus openness
Globalization and Welfare Compensation
Embedding technological transformation
Workers, worries and welfare states
How interest groups influence public opinion
Class and social policy in the knowledge economy
Who Gives, Who Gains? Progressivity and Preferences
Dealing with Technological Change
Technological Risk and Policy Preferences
Automation and the Welfare State
The Economic Origins of Authoritarian Values
The Declining Middle
Automation, Digitalization, and Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace
Inequality, Labor Market Segmentation, and Preferences for Redistribution
What Triggers Public Opposition to Immigration? Anxiety, Group Cues, and Immigration Threat
Global Competition and Brexit
An Asset Theory of Social Policy Preferences
Inequality, Social Insurance, and Redistribution
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |