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The rightward shift and electoral decline of social democratic parties under increasing inequality
[journal article]
Abstract Recent electoral results reveal a pronounced decline in the fortunes of Social Democratic parties. Much of the decline debate has revolved around their rightward policy shifts, which have turned Social Democrats away from their founding principle of equality in an age of increasing inequality. Thus,... view more
Recent electoral results reveal a pronounced decline in the fortunes of Social Democratic parties. Much of the decline debate has revolved around their rightward policy shifts, which have turned Social Democrats away from their founding principle of equality in an age of increasing inequality. Thus, this article examines the interconnections of these major changes in the Western political economy. In doing so, it contributes to the identification of income inequality as a key mechanism moderating Social Democratic policy offerings and their support. It does so through aggregate-level election results and individual-level survey responses on a sample of 22 advanced democracies, over 336 elections, from 1965-2019. Results reveal that rightward economic movements of Social Democrats significantly reduce their vote share under higher levels of income inequality or when they are combined with rightward socio-cultural movements. The findings provide an important explanation for the pronounced electoral decline of Social Democratic parties.... view less
Keywords
difference in income; inequality; voting behavior; election; social democracy; election result; political right
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
mainstream left; party competition; CSES
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 665-692
Journal
West European Politics, 45 (2022) 3
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2021.1916294
ISSN
1743-9655
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed