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Egalitarianism and the democratic deconsolidation: Is democracy compatible with socialism?

Author

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  • François Facchini

    (University Paris 1 Sorbonne)

  • Mickael Melki

    (Paris School of Business)

Abstract

The unprecedented reduction in popular support for democracy represents a risk of democratic deconsolidation. The new situation echoes old debates on the compatibility of democracy with capitalism and socialism. This article provides empirical support for the incompatibility of socialism with democracy by providing evidence suggesting that when citizens adopt egalitarianism as a supreme value, they are ready to sacrifice democracy for the sake of equality. Using individual data, we observe that the decline in support for democracy over generations and over time is accompanied by rising support for egalitarian values in US and European democracies. Moreover, democracies with stronger preferences for egalitarianism also have less public support for democracy, suggesting a tradeoff between both values.

Suggested Citation

  • François Facchini & Mickael Melki, 2021. "Egalitarianism and the democratic deconsolidation: Is democracy compatible with socialism?," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 186(3), pages 447-465, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:pubcho:v:186:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1007_s11127-019-00744-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s11127-019-00744-x
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    Cited by:

    1. Hassan F. Gholipour & Reza Tajaddini & Farhad Taghizadeh-hesary, 2022. "Individuals’ Financial Satisfaction and National Priority: A Global Perspective," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 160(1), pages 159-177, February.
    2. Melki, Mickael, 2022. "Inequality and investment: The role of institutions," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    3. Bojaj, Martin M. & Djurovic, Gordana & Fabris, Nikola & Milovic, Nikola, 2023. "Top 1% and inequality connectedness in the EMU and WB," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 139-155.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Democracy; Deconsolidation; Egalitarianism; Millennials;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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