Socio-Economic Inequality

Today, a highly heterogeneous European Union (EU) is under strong pressure to maintain a certain level of cohesion to govern effectively. The inequalities dividing European citizens, regions, and member states are frequently politicized and have become central to our understanding of European politics. What is more, as European integration has deepened, the EU has become a key driver of economic transformation processes, frequently increasing inequality within and across member states. High levels of politicization around EU integration issues and the disintegration process can be understood as a backlash against the inequalities nurtured by integration. This section invites submissions that investigate the social and political causes and consequences of inequalities in the European Union. Contributions can have a macro- or micro-level focus and might come from different fields, such as political science, economics, and sociology. We welcome papers that consider various dimensions of disparity in income, wealth, employment opportunities, or other economic resources. In this section, we are particularly interested in papers that investigate how EU integration shapes inequalities and how socio-economic inequalities shape European politics.