In a new article, PhD candidate Martin Lukk argues that contemporary radical right-wing politics are linked to long-term structural changes in inequality. The article, “Politics of Boundary Consolidation: Income Inequality, Ethnonationalism, and Radical-Right Voting”, draws on time-series data to examine the relationship between inequality, ethnonationalism, and radical-right voting patterns. Lukk finds that countries with greater levels of income inequality also experience greater levels of ethnonationalism, which is, in turn, associated with support for radical-right politics. This relationship can be understood through boundary consolidation – in that rising inequality increases status threats and leads to exclusionary shifts in national group boundaries – argues Lukk. These findings suggest that long-term structural shifts are a significant cause of the rise of the radical right.
Find the article open-access in Socius.
Martin Lukk is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology. Martin’s research interests include politics, inequality, and digital technology. He’s particularly interested in how income inequality shapes political identities and the role of internet platforms in social welfare.