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The Politics of Inequality as Organised Spectacle: Why the Swiss Do Not Want to Tax the Rich

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  • Patrick Emmenegger
  • Paul Marx

Abstract

In 2015, Swiss voters had the opportunity to impose a tax on the super rich in a popular vote and thereby fund a redistributive policy. However, a large majority voted against its seemingly obvious self-interest and rejected the tax. We propose an explanation for this puzzling outcome, bridging the usually separate behavioralist and institutionalist perspectives on the politics of inequality. We start from the observation that political economy tends to neglect processes of preference formation. Theorising preferences as socially constructed, we show that interest groups played a major role in shaping the outcome of the vote. Business frames were multiplied through allied parties and the media and had a major impact on individual voting behaviour. In addition, we demonstrate that interest groups representing business interests derive the content of their communication from business’s structurally privileged position in the capitalist economy. Specifically, creating uncertainty about possible perverse effects of government policies on jobs and growth is a powerful tool to undermine popular support. Frames based on this structural power ultimately explain why the Swiss refrained from ‘soaking the rich.’

Suggested Citation

  • Patrick Emmenegger & Paul Marx, 2019. "The Politics of Inequality as Organised Spectacle: Why the Swiss Do Not Want to Tax the Rich," New Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(1), pages 103-124, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:cnpexx:v:24:y:2019:i:1:p:103-124
    DOI: 10.1080/13563467.2017.1420641
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    Cited by:

    1. Fastenrath, Florian & Marx, Paul, 2023. "The role of preference formation and perception in unequal representation: Combined evidence from elite interviews and focus groups in Germany," ifso working paper series 26, University of Duisburg-Essen, Institute for Socioeconomics (ifso).
    2. Theine, Hendrik, 2019. "The media coverage of wealth and inheritance taxation in Germany," Department of Economics Working Paper Series 290, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    3. Adrian Rinscheid, 2020. "Business Power in Noisy Politics: An Exploration Based on Discourse Network Analysis and Survey Data," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 286-297.
    4. Hope, David & Limberg, Julian, 2020. "The economic consequences of major tax cuts for the rich," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 107919, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Maschke, Andreas, 2024. "Talking exports: The representation of Germany's current account in newspaper media," MPIfG Discussion Paper 24/1, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    6. François, Martin & Mertens de Wilmars, Sybille & Maréchal, Kevin, 2023. "Unlocking the potential of income and wealth caps in post-growth transformation: A framework for improving policy design," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    7. Hendrik Theine, 2019. "The media coverage of wealth and inheritance taxation in Germany," Department of Economics Working Papers wuwp290, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Department of Economics.

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