Conférence - Karl-Oskar Lindgren : Perpetuity of the Past: How Political Inequality is Transmitted Across Generations

Philippe Aghion

Collège de France

Économie des institutions, de l'innovation et de la croissance

Année 2022-2023

Leveling the Political Playing Field: Can Democracy Deliver on its Promise of Equal Political Opportunity?

Conférence - Karl-Oskar Lindgren : Perpetuity of the Past: How Political Inequality is Transmitted Across Generations

Intervenant(s)

Karl-Oskar Lindgren

Professeur de sciences politiques, université d'Uppsala

Résumé

The notion that every citizen should have equal opportunities to influence political decisions is a fundamental principle in liberal democratic thought. However, decades of political science research have consistently shown that individuals with politically active parents are more inclined to become politically engaged themselves. In this lecture, we will explore various potential explanations for the robust intergenerational correlations in political participation observed in many modern democracies. These explanations encompass social, economic, and biological factors.

Utilizing detailed data from Swedish administrative registers, including up to four consecutive generations, we will examine how levels of political participation are transferred between generations. The analysis reveals that the intergenerational transmission of political participation can span multiple generations and has both social and genetic roots.