The Politics of Income Inequality: Redistribution, Turnout and Responsiveness

Polacko Matthew ()
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Polacko Matthew: Département de science politique, Université du Québec à Montréal, 405 Rue Sainte-Catherine Est, Montréal, QC, H2L 2C4, Canada

Statistics, Politics and Policy, 2022, vol. 13, issue 2, 201-218

Abstract: Income inequality is viewed as one of the greatest challenges facing democracies today. Democracy is predicated on the ideal of equality, but political inequality occurs when the preferences of some are systematically afforded more weight in the political process than others. This research paper investigates the causal chain that allows for political inequality to arise through preference formation, articulation, and aggregation, by outlining the effects that income inequality can have on preferences for redistribution, political participation, and policy responsiveness. It finds that the policy choices presented to the electorate substantially matter for democracy, especially so in this age of increasing income inequality. There appears to be a lack of policy choice provided by political parties resulting in unequal policy responsiveness to the preferences of lower-income earners.

Keywords: inequality; income inequality; redistribution; turnout; representation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1515/spp-2021-0018

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