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Economic Inequality and Democratic Political Engagement

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  • Frederick Solt

Abstract

Since Aristotle, who observed that great economic inequality leads the wealthy to seek a share of power matching their share of resources and so to subvert democratic government, scholars of politics have theorized that the proper functioning of a democracy depends on a relatively equal distribution of economic resources. Inequality, though, has been rising in the nearly all of the worlds rich and upper-middle-income democracies since the at least the mid-1980s, and in many countries this trend began in the early 1970s. Examining individual behavior in twenty-four countries at multiple points in time, this paper investigates whether increases in economic inequality have had a negative effect on the functioning of democracy, focusing specifically on citizens political engagement. It finds that contexts of greater income inequality reduce interest in politics, views of government responsiveness, and participation in elections.

Suggested Citation

  • Frederick Solt, 2004. "Economic Inequality and Democratic Political Engagement," LIS Working papers 385, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
  • Handle: RePEc:lis:liswps:385
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    1. Solt, Frederick, 2004. "Civics or Structure? Revisiting the Origins of Democratic Quality in the Italian Regions," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 34(1), pages 123-135, January.
    2. Timothy Smeeding, 2002. "Globalization, Inequality and the Rich Countries of the G-20: Evidence from the Luxembourg Income Study," LIS Working papers 320, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    3. Deininger, Klaus & Squire, Lyn, 1996. "A New Data Set Measuring Income Inequality," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 10(3), pages 565-591, September.
    4. Goodin, Robert & Dryzek, John, 1980. "Rational Participation: The Politics of Relative Power," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 10(3), pages 273-292, July.
    5. Deininger, Klaus & Squire, Lyn, 1996. "A New Data Set Measuring Income Inequality," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 10(3), pages 565-591, September.
    6. Timothy M. Smeeding, 2002. "Globalization, Inequality, and the Rich Countries of the G-20: Evidence from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS)," Center for Policy Research Working Papers 48, Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School, Syracuse University.
    7. Jackman, Robert W., 1987. "Political Institutions and Voter Turnout in the Industrial Democracies," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 81(2), pages 405-423, June.
    8. Pateman, Carole, 1971. "Political Culture, Political Structure and Political Change," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 1(3), pages 291-305, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. A. Soci & A. Maccagnan & D. Mantovani, 2014. "Does inequality harm democracy? An empirical investigation on the UK," Working Papers wp935, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.

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