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The economic origins of authoritarian values: evidence from local trade shocks in the United Kingdom

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  • Ballard-Rosa, Cameron
  • Malik, Mashail
  • Rickard, Stephanie
  • Scheve, Kenneth

Abstract

What explains the backlash against the liberal international order? Are its causes economic or cultural? We argue that while cultural values are central to understanding the backlash, those values are, in part, endogenous and shaped by long-run economic change. Using an original survey of the British population, we show that individuals living in regions where the local labor market was more substantially affected by imports from China have significantly more authoritarian values and that this relationship is driven by the effect of economic change on authoritarian aggression. This result is consistent with a frustration-aggression mechanism by which large economic shocks hinder individuals’ expected attainment of their goals. This study provides a theoretical mechanism that helps to account for the opinions and behaviors of Leave voters in the 2016 UK referendum who in seeking the authoritarian values of order and conformity desired to reduce immigration and take back control of policymaking.

Suggested Citation

  • Ballard-Rosa, Cameron & Malik, Mashail & Rickard, Stephanie & Scheve, Kenneth, 2021. "The economic origins of authoritarian values: evidence from local trade shocks in the United Kingdom," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 108664, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:108664
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/108664/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Philipp Harms & Nils D. Steiner, 2023. "Attitudes towards Globalization: A Survey," Working Papers 2305, Gutenberg School of Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.
    2. John Kuk & Deborah Seligsohn & Jiakun Jack Zhang, 2022. "The partisan divide in U.S. congressional communications after the China shock," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 494-526, July.
    3. Baccini, Leonardo & Lodefalk, Magnus & Sabolová, Radka, 2024. "Economic Determinants of Attitudes Toward Migration: Firm-level Evidence from Europe," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 78(1), pages 67-102, January.
    4. Piero Stanig & Italo Colantone & Gianmarco Ottaviano, 2024. "A Popular Backlash Against Globalization?," BAFFI CAREFIN Working Papers 24226, BAFFI CAREFIN, Centre for Applied Research on International Markets Banking Finance and Regulation, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    5. Rickard, Stephanie, 2022. "Economic geography, politics, and the world trade regime," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 113857, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    globalization; backlash; public opinion; political economy; economic policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General
    • L81 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce

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