As part of our departmental seminar series, Take Sipma (RadboudUniversity Nijmegen) will give a talk on
Precarious work and voting for populist radical right parties
coauthored by Prof. Dr. Marcel Lubbers and Dr. Niels Spierings
(June 21st, 6 pm, GFG 01-611)
Abstract
An increasing number of people are situated in a precarious labour market position, due to macro-economic changes, like globalization and the economic crisis. In this study, we examined to what extent precarious labour market positions affect the popularity of populist radical right (PRR) parties. Using Losers of Globalization and Ethnic Competition Theory, and as has been supposed in non-academic debates as well, we expected that people in a precarious position are more likely to vote for PRRs. We tested this expectation using seven waves of the European Social Survey in 12 Western European countries from 2002 to 2014. Contrasting all current thoughts about the topic, our results have a surprising outcome: there is no significant influence of a precarious labour market position on populist radical right voting. Instead, it is the populist radical left that appeals stronger to people in a precarious position. Even though it has been suggested that increasing economic insecurities and precariousness induce feelings of political discontent and ethnic threat, precariousness is not systematically translated into a vote a for the populist radical right.
As always, all staff and students are cordially invited.