Economic Inequality, the German Left, and the Politics of Economic Redistribution.

This paper explores the relationship between increases in unemployment and levels of economic inequality in Germany since the 1990s and support for the far Left, in particular Die Linke, or "The Left Party." Though the aftermath of German reunification in 1990 marked the definitive end of the "Economic Miracle" for the country as a whole, the effects of the climate of economic austerity have been particularly severe for certain groups. In this paper, we investigate the extent to which these groups within the German electorate support Die Linke and its interventionist and economically redistributive policies. Using data drawn from the 2006 and 2008 German General Social Surveys (ALLBUS), we investigate the relationship among voters' social characteristics, attitudes, and favored policy positions, on the one hand, and support for Die Linke, on the other. We find that support for Die Linke does not appear to be based solely on ideological extremism or economic pessimism, but also on beliefs about economic inequalities and the government's efforts to redress them. This evidence contradicts elements of conventional accounts that supporters for the far Left are simply "the losers" from economic modernization and suggests fruitful avenues for research on the relationship between economic decline and support for the Far Left across the advanced industrial world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]