Articles

Populisme en de ambivalentie van het egalitarisme : Hoe rijmen sociaal zwakkeren een rechtse partijvoorkeur met hun sociaal-economische attitudes?

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Abstract

The decline of traditional class voting is at the centre of the Class Politics debate. From the framework of traditional class analysis a labourer's right w ing vote appears 'unnatural'. A right wing vote is thought to damage the interests of the economically precarious groups.  This paper attempts to understand the phenomenon of so-called unnatural voting behaviour starting from the populism concept. From a theoretical literature study we analyse the relationship between populism and attitudes regarding the economic left-right cleavage.  We argue that right-wing populism appeals to a cry for equality, yet at the same time mobilises this sentiment against the institutions of the welfare state. In that way populist right parties succeed in attuning their economic discourse to the socio-economic attitudes of broad layers of the population, including economically precariou s categories. The empirical relevance of this hypothesis is tested on the case of Flanders.

How to Cite:

Derks, A., (2005) “Populisme en de ambivalentie van het egalitarisme : Hoe rijmen sociaal zwakkeren een rechtse partijvoorkeur met hun sociaal-economische attitudes?”, Res Publica 47(4), 527-552.