Does Parental Unemployment Cause Right-Wing Extremism?

Arbeitspapier

Recent years have witnessed a rise in right-wing extremism among German youth and young adults. This paper investigates the extent to which the experience of parental unemployment during childhood affects young people's far right-wing attitudes and xenophobia. Estimates from three German data sets show a positive relationship between growing up with unemployed parents and right-wing extremism, with xenophobia in particular. This paper uses stark diŽerences in unemployment levels between East and West Germany, both before and after reunification, to investigate a causal relationship. Instrumental variables estimates suggest strong and significant effects of parental unemployment on right-wing extremism. Various panel estimates also point to a positive relationship. The results are consistent with classical theories of economic interest and voting behavior which predict that persons who develop feelings of economic insecurity are more susceptible to right-wing extremism and anti-foreign sentiments.

Angaben zum Objekt

• Sprache: Englisch

Verweise und Beziehungen

• Erschienen in: Series: DIW Discussion Papers ; No. 666

Klassifikation und Themen

• Klassifikation: Wirtschaft ; Capitalist Systems: Political Economy ; Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior ; Single Equation Models; Single Variables: Panel Data Models; Spatio-temporal Models
• Thema: Right-wing extremism ; unemployment ; instrumental variables estimations ; panel estimators ; intergenerational links ; Radikalismus ; Faschismus ; Jugendliche ; Familiensoziologie ; Arbeitslosigkeit ; Deutschland ; Alte Bundesländer ; Neue Bundesländer

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Ereignis: Geistige Schöpfung
• (wer): Siedler, Thomas
• Ereignis: Veröffentlichung
• (wer): Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW)
• (wo): Berlin
• (wann): 2007

Weitere Informationen

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/18398
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 10.03.2025, 11:42 MEZ