Occupation-Specific Skills, Labor Market Context and Preferences for Redistribution

Understanding who and when supports income redistribution is at the core of political economy literature. Nevertheless, even though social stratification literature understands skill specificity as a key element of social class, there is no consensus on the role they play in shaping political preferences. I elaborate a framework that allows understanding these contradictions. I argue that the effect of occupation-specific skills (OSS) on redistribution preferences is moderated by occupational context, being more negative the tighter the occupational labor market is. I propose two mechanisms related to labor market prospects that allow explaining this relation: expected wages and risk exposure. Using flexible interactive effects models and different rounds from the European Social Survey and the International Social Survey Programme I show the relevance of this new approach. This analysis might allow explaining distinct political coalitions depending on the economic context.