Topic
Brexit
About: Brexit is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 5221 publications have been published within this topic receiving 32531 citations. The topic is also known as: British withdrawal from the European Union & British exit.
Papers
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the impact of economic insecurity and cultural values as predictors of voting for populist parties in 31 European countries and find the most consistent evidence supporting the cultural backlash thesis.
Abstract: Rising support for populist parties has disrupted the politics of many Western societies. What explains this phenomenon? Two theories are examined here. Perhaps the most widely-held view of mass support for populism -- the economic insecurity perspective -- emphasizes the consequences of profound changes transforming the workforce and society in post-industrial economies. Alternatively, the cultural backlash thesis suggests that support can be explained as a retro reaction by once-predominant sectors of the population to progressive value change. To consider these arguments, Part I develops the conceptual and theoretical framework. Part II of the study uses the 2014 Chapel Hill Expert Survey (CHES) to identify the ideological location of 268 political parties in 31 European countries. Part III compares the pattern of European party competition at national-level. Part IV uses the pooled European Social Survey 1-6 (2002-2014) to examine the cross-national evidence at individual level for the impact of the economic insecurity and cultural values as predictors of voting for populist parties. Part V summarizes the key findings and considers their implications. Overall, we find the most consistent evidence supporting the cultural backlash thesis.
1,133 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that the divide between winners and losers of globalization was a key driver of the British EU exit, particularly among less-educated, poorer and older voters, and those who expressed concerns about immigration and multi-culturalism.
Abstract: The outcome of the British referendum on European Union (EU) membership sent shockwaves through Europe. While Britain is an outlier when it comes to the strength of Euroscepticism, the anti-immigration and anti-establishment sentiments that produced the referendum outcome are gaining strength across Europe. Analysing campaign and survey data, this article shows that the divide between winners and losers of globalization was a key driver of the vote. Favouring British EU exit, or ‘Brexit’, was particularly common among less-educated, poorer and older voters, and those who expressed concerns about immigration and multi-culturalism. While there is no evidence of a short-term contagion effect with similar membership referendums in other countries, the Brexit vote nonetheless poses a serious challenge to the political establishment across Europe.
677 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that public support for Brexit closely mapped past support for UKIP and found that support for Leave was more polarised along education lines than support for UK Independence Party (UKIP) ever was.
Abstract: Why did Britain vote for Brexit? What was the relative importance of factors such as education, age, immigration and ethnic diversity? And to what extent did the pattern of public support for Brexit across the country match the pattern of public support in earlier years for eurosceptic parties, notably the UK Independence Party (UKIP)? In this article we draw on aggregate-level data to conduct an initial exploration of the 2016 referendum vote. First, we find that turnout was generally higher in more pro-Leave areas. Second, we find that public support for Leave closely mapped past support for UKIP. And third, we find that support for Leave was more polarised along education lines than support for UKIP ever was. The implication of this finding is that support for euroscepticism has both widened and narrowed—it is now more widespread across Britain but it is also more socially distinctive.
427 citations
TL;DR: The authors used the concept of populism to make sense of current events such as the Brexit referendum and the Trump presidency, which is a welcome development, but two issues with this approach are highlighted.
Abstract: Academics are increasingly using the concept of populism to make sense of current events such as the Brexit referendum and the Trump presidency. This is certainly a welcome development, but two sho...
364 citations
Book•
14 Feb 2019TL;DR: The authors argued that the silent revolution in values triggered a backlash fuelling support for authoritarian-populist parties and leaders in the US and Europe, and highlighted the dangers of this development and what could be done to mitigate the risks to liberal democracy.
Abstract: Authoritarian populist parties have advanced in many countries, and entered government in states as diverse as Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland. Even small parties can still shift the policy agenda, as demonstrated by UKIP's role in catalyzing Brexit. Drawing on new evidence, this book advances a general theory why the silent revolution in values triggered a backlash fuelling support for authoritarian-populist parties and leaders in the US and Europe. The conclusion highlights the dangers of this development and what could be done to mitigate the risks to liberal democracy.
360 citations