Lecture by Prof. Dr. Johanna Rickne, Stockholm University, at the VWL Research Seminar on 17.01.2023

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Johanna Rickne (Stockholm University) will give a lecture within the VWL research seminar on the topic of

The Class Ceiling in Politics.

The date is Tuesday, 17.01.2023, 16:00, in room FG1/00.08.

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Abstract

"The working class is under-represented in political offices worldwide. We study factors that help workers enter and advance in politics by leveraging detailed microdata from Sweden, a best performer in this aspect of democracy. We document that workers in politics face a “class ceiling” in the form of a smaller likelihood to advance from lower to higher positions conditional on observable qualifications. While trade unions are important vehicles for workers’ entry and advancement, even strong union ties do not fully compensate for the difference. We end with a broader discussion about factors that may have shifted segments of the working class from political mobilization into parties on the ideological left toward mobilization for the radical right."