EconPapers    
Economics at your fingertips  
 

Left-behind vs. unequal places: interpersonal inequality, economic decline, and the rise of populism in the US and Europe

Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés, Terrero-Dávila, Javier and Neil Lee
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Andrés Rodríguez-Pose

No 18923, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: Economic change over the past twenty years has rendered many individuals and territories vulnerable, leading to greater interpersonal and interterritorial inequality. This rising inequality is seen as a root cause of populism. Yet, there is no comparative evidence as to whether this discontent is the consequence of localised interpersonal inequality or stagnant growth in ‘left-behind’ places. This paper assesses the association between levels and changes in local GDP per capita and interpersonal inequality, and the rise of far-right populism in Europe and in the US. The analysis —conducted at small region level for Europe and county level for the US— shows that there are both similarities and differences in the factors connected to populist voting on both sides of the Atlantic. In the US, neither interpersonal inequality nor economic decline can explain populist support on their own. However, these factors gain significance when considered together with the racial composition of the area. Counties with a large share of white population where economic growth has been stagnant and where inequalities have increased supported Donald Trump. Meanwhile, counties with a similar economic trajectory but with a higher share of minorities shunned populism. In Europe, the most significant factor behind the rise of far-right populism is economic decline. This effect is particularly large in areas with a high share of immigration.

Keywords: Europe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D31 D72 R11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-03
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://cepr.org/publications/DP18923 (application/pdf)
CEPR Discussion Papers are free to download for our researchers, subscribers and members. If you fall into one of these categories but have trouble downloading our papers, please contact us at subscribers@cepr.org

Related works:
Working Paper: Left-behind vs. unequal places: interpersonal inequality, economic decline, and the rise of populism in the US and Europe (2023) Downloads
Working Paper: Left-behind vs. unequal places: interpersonal inequality, economic decline, and the rise of populism in the US and Europe (2023) Downloads
Working Paper: Left-Behind vs. Unequal Places: Interpersonal Inequality, Economic Decline, and the Rise of Populism in the US and Europe (2023) Downloads
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:18923

Ordering information: This working paper can be ordered from
https://cepr.org/publications/DP18923

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers Centre for Economic Policy Research, 33 Great Sutton Street, London EC1V 0DX.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ().

 
Page updated 2025-03-19
Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:18923