Do Wealthier Support Bases Constrain the Ability of Progressive Parties to Achieve Socio-Economic Equality? A Research Agenda

Abstract

Scholars debate whether the wealthier profile of support for progressive parties limits ability to achieve socio-economic equality (Engler and Zohlnhöfer, 2019; Gingrich and Häusermann, 2015). Given the rise of these concerns, I develop five hypotheses which researchers might test; (H1) party programmes and output will become less redistributive; (H2) effects will be pronounced in proportional systems, particularly among parties with narrow support groups; (H3) cross-class policies will become more prominent; (H4) path-dependent feedback effects will promote resilience; (H5) discursive commitment to justice will promote resilience.