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Identifier 000455146
Title Political polarization and economic inequality in the European Union
Alternative Title Πολιτική πόλωση και οικονομική ανισότητα εντός της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης
Author Ραλλάτου, Διονυσία
Thesis advisor Τζουβελέκας Βαγγέλης
Reviewer Καλαϊτζιδάκης Παντελής
Πετράκης Εμμανουήλ
Abstract In the last 5 decades political polarization has been constantly rising. After going through a short period of consensus for a couple of decades after the end of WWII, it seems that politicians have opted for a strategy of hatred in order to increase partisanship and maximize voter turnout. This has led to a high level of political fractionalization today both in parliaments as well as among citizens. While this subject has been vastly studied in the USA, little can be found regarding the European Union, and even more so on a cross country level. In this thesis, we study the evolution of political polarization in 10 countries in the European Union for a thirty-years period, namely from 1989 until 2019. In order to do so, we use an index which takes under account both the heterogeneity between groups as well as the homogeneity within groups. The procedure of estimating the polarization index in each country is based on the ideal point estimation of the self-placement perception of voters. Utilizing individual level survey data on the self-placement of voters as well as their placement of their countries’ parties, we estimate, non-parametrically, with the aid of a Gaussian kernel, and the application of a probabilistic scaling method, the probability density function of the distribution of public political opinion. We apply on these results the index of political polarization. The index is based on the “Identification-Alienation” framework. According to this, political polarization increases with the increase of heterogeneity among groups (the further away clusters move from each other) as well as the increase in homogeneity within groups (the stronger the identification sentiment between the members of each cluster).Additionally, we test the interrelationship between political polarization and two economic variables, namely income inequality and economic growth. Regressions are performed using the Fixed Effects method as well as the Random Effects Method. In both methods, individuals’ effects are also allowed for. As expected, results indicate that political polarization is positively affected by income inequality and negatively affected by economic growth.
Language English
Subject Affective polarization
Alienation
Gini coefficient
Gross Domestic Product
Heterogeneity
Homogeneity
Identification
Inequality
Polarization index
Political Polarization
Ακαθάριστο Εγχώριο Προϊόν
Ανισότητα
Αποξένωση
Δείκτης πόλωσης
Ετερογένεια
Ομοιογένεια
Πολιτική πόλωση
Συντελεστής Gini
Ταύτιση
Issue date 2022-11-30
Collection   School/Department--School of Social Sciences--Department of Economics--Doctoral theses
  Type of Work--Doctoral theses
Permanent Link https://elocus.lib.uoc.gr//dlib/8/b/e/metadata-dlib-1683105193-28603-19198.tkl Bookmark and Share
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