Local social capital and the rise of right-wing populism

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Felix Rösel
• Subject Area: Economic Policy, Applied Economics
• Term: from 2018 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 400857762

Western societies have seen a rapid surge in right-wing populism in past years. Studies show that particularly voters in once booming but now declining industrial "rust belts" support populist movements. In times of rapid change, strong and reliable local networks and identities (social capital), may provide solidarity and eliminate the breeding ground for populism. However, if associations such as sports clubs are closely knit and exclusive, they may also breed and spread populism even more rapidly. Evidence is utterly scarce, especially when it comes to causal effects. This project aims at investigating the relationship of social capital and right-wing populism. I propose to exploit quasi-natural experiments in several European countries using modern econometric identification strategies (difference-in-differences estimations, fuzzy and sharp regression discontinuity design, and instrumental variable approach).In the end, five closely connected papers would provide a comprehensive and causal evidence-based answer to the yet underexplored question whether social capital is able to channel both democratic but also anti-democratic tendencies in Western societies.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Switzerland
• Co-Investigators: Dr. Kai Gehring; Professor Dr. Niklas Potrafke