Citation

Discussion Paper Details

Please find the details for DP7723 in an easy to copy and paste format below:

Full Details   |   Bibliographic Reference

Full Details

Title: Economic growth and the rise of political extremism: theory and evidence

Author(s): Markus Brückner and Hans Peter Grüner

Publication Date: March 2010

Keyword(s): Economic Growth and Political Regimes

Programme Area(s): Public Economics

Abstract: In many western democracies, political parties with extreme platforms challenge more moderate incumbents. This paper analyses the impact of economic growth on the support for extreme political platforms. We provide a theoretical argument in favor of growth effects (as opposed to level effects) on the support for extremist parties and we empirically investigate the relationship between growth and extremist votes. A lower growth rate increases the support for extreme political platforms but our estimates also indicate that extreme platforms are unlikely to gain majorities in OECD countries, unless there is an extreme drop in the GDP per capita growth rate.

For full details and related downloads, please visit: https://cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=7723

Bibliographic Reference

Brückner, M and Grüner, H. 2010. 'Economic growth and the rise of political extremism: theory and evidence'. London, Centre for Economic Policy Research. https://cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=7723