Anja Neundorf Spoke on 'Contextual and Individual Determinants of Economic Preferences: Evidence from Panel Data'

On October 13 a research seminar on political economy took place at HSE. Anja Neundorf (University of Nottingham) presented the report on 'Contextual and Individual Determinants of Economic Preferences: Evidence from Panel Data'.

Abstract:

To what extent does economic self-interest shape policy preferences? This paper argues that individuals are more likely to translate personal hardship into higher support for redistributive social policies when political elites actively compete over redistributive issues. We first test this argument using individual panel data from Great Britain. We find evidence that the discursive context mediates the relationship between economic hardship and preferences. Using data from 24 European countries we then show that, where elites polarize over redistributive issues, low-income respondents are more likely – relative to high-income individuals – to support redistribution.