Political conflict, social inequality and electoral cleavages in Central-Eastern Europe, 1990-2018

Attila Lindner (1) , Filip Novokmet (2, 3) , Thomas Piketty (4, 5, 3) , Tomasz Zawisza (6)

1 UCL - University College of London [London]
2 Universität Bonn = University of Bonn
3 WIL - World Inequality Lab
4 PSE - Paris School of Economics
5 PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques
6 Institute for Fiscal Studies

This paper analyses the electoral cleavages in three Central European countries countries-the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland-since the fall of communism until today. In all three countries, the left has seen a prolonged decline in support. On the other hand, the "populist" parties increased their support and recently attained power in each country. We relate this to specific trajectories of post-communist transition. Former communist parties in Hungary and Poland transformed themselves into socialdemocratic parties. These parties' pro-market policies prevented them from establishing themselves predominantly among a lower-income electorate. Meanwhile, the liberal right in the Czech Republic and Poland became representative of both high-income and high-educated voters. This has opened up space for populist parties and influenced their character, assuming more 'nativist' outlook in Poland and Hungary and more 'centrist' in the Czech Republic.

Domaines: Economies et finances

Attila Lindner, Filip Novokmet, Thomas Piketty, Tomasz Zawisza. Political conflict, social inequality and electoral cleavages in Central-Eastern Europe, 1990-2018. 2020. ⟨halshs-03047677⟩