The Effect of Educational Attainment on Substantial Representation: A Comparative Analysis of Eight Western European Countries

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2020-08-17

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en

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In this thesis I studied whether or not the lower educated citizens in eight Western European countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, France, The Netherlands and Sweden) are substantively underrepresented in the period 2006-2018 using data from the European Social Survey and the Chapel Hill Expert Survey. The theories that guide the analysis were informed by the new ‘education cleavage’ which entails that education is in contemporary Western European societies one of the dominant factors determining political preference as well as the finding by many authors that the lower educated are underrepresented in politics. In addition, I looked at whether or not the populist radical right improves the representation of the lower educated as they gain more influence in parliaments. The results are unexpected and while they confirm previous studies that have looked at the issue of European integration, the results predominantly invite discussion on the method by which data from multiple surveys are combined.

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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen

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