New Conflicts’ Mapping in the age of Globalization (NEWCOMING)

Abstract

The theory advanced by Seymour Lipset and Stein Rokkan on social cleavages, considered foundational to the formation of political parties, remains one of the most influential frameworks in political science. Over time, various studies have sought to examine the extent to which this theory still explains voting behavior and whether new globalization-related cleavages have emerged. The purpose of the NEWCOMING project (New Conflicts’ Mapping in the Age of Globalization) is to provide an in-depth comprehension of these phenomena by collecting original cross-sectional survey data in seven Western European countries: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Through quantitative analyses of these surveys, NEWCOMING will explore the relevance of both traditional and alleged new cleavages, seeking to understand whether Western Europe is characterized by an overarching ‘globalization’ cleavage, or a multitude of less-structured conflicts. Hence, NEWCOMING’s survey relies on specific items capturing the key characteristics of social conflicts: people’s positions in them, their salience, their identity-producing capacity, and finally, political parties’ ability to represent them. Additionally, NEWCOMING aims to trace the causes of rising voters’ political disengagement, detecting whether this trend is also related to people’s specific positions in social conflicts. To this end, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with citizens who feel alienated from politics. Therefore, NEWCOMING ultimately aims to provide insights into both the evolution of cleavage politics and wider transformations in the democratic functioning of Western European countries.