How economic prosperity hardens attitudes towards minorities (2012-2014)
Abstract
Media reports often portray the rising support for anti-immigrant political parties as the logical consequence of economic stagnation and rising unemployment, thereby reinforcing the conventional wisdom that electoral support reflects competition over scarce resources (i.e. 'realistic conflict'). However, this explanation is inconsistent with empirical evidence showing that anti-immigrant parties have been remarkably successful in times of prosperity. We address the questions how and when economic prosperity hardens attitudes towards minorities. The project's significance lies in providing a first comprehensive examination of these issues and aims to develop theorising by integrating social psychological and political science theory.
