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Vortragende Person/Vortragende Personen:
Jane Gringrich (University of Oxford)

Social mobility and populism

ABSTRACT: What is the relationship between social mobility and support for populist political movements? Many scholars argue that the rise of authoritarian populism in high income democracies can be explained by declines in the economic opportunities, social status, or future aspirations of a part of the population. However, these accounts often neglect the multifaceted nature of social mobility. This paper shows that mobility can be conceptualised and measured in a wide variety of ways, with widely varying empirical implications for populist support. We use data from the European Social Survey to show that these choices matter in practice. Different conceptions of the unit of analysis, mobility mechanism, and choice of comparators can lead to diametrically opposed conclusions about the link between educational mobility and populist voting and attitudes. Researchers should ensure that the way they measure mobility matches up with their hypothesised mechanisms and consider the implications of alternative measures.

Jane Gingrich is a Professor of Social Policy at the Department of Social Policy and Intervention (DSPI), University of Oxford and a Senior Research Fellow at Green Templeton College. Jane’s areas of expertise are Comparative Political Economy and Comparative Social Policy with a particular interest in the contemporary restructuring of the welfare state and the politics of institutional change.