Partisan Dealignment and the Blue-Collar Electorate in France 9783030354640, 9783030354657, 3030354644

Table of contents :
Acknowledgments
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 The Concept of Partisan Dealignment
1.2 The Causes, Characteristics and Consequences of Partisan Dealignment
1.3 Citizen-Party Linkage and Models of Voting
1.4 Partisan Dealignment in France and the Distinctiveness of Blue-Collar Partisanship
1.4.1 Party Identification
1.4.2 Party Proximity
1.4.3 Support for an Established or Alternative Party
1.4.4 Turnout
1.4.5 Electoral Volatility
1.5 Outline of the Book
References
Chapter 2: The Blue-Collar Electorate and La condition ouvrière in France
2.1 Measuring Social Class
2.1.1 Objective Social Class
2.1.2 Subjective Social Class
2.2 The Sociodemographic Composition of the Blue-Collar Electorate
2.2.1 Sex
2.2.2 Age-Group
2.2.3 Education
2.2.4 Ethnicity
2.3 The Transformation of Blue-Collar Employment
2.3.1 Skilled Versus Unskilled Workers
2.3.2 Methods of Production
2.3.3 Terms of Employment
2.3.4 Unemployment
2.3.5 The Special Case of Younger Manual Workers
2.3.6 Trade Unions
2.4 Blue-Collar Culture
2.4.1 The Importance of Family and Community
2.4.2 Geographical (Dis)location
2.4.3 The Invisibility of the Blue-Collar Electorate
2.5 Conclusion
References
Chapter 3: Blue-Collar Partisanship
3.1 Changes in Blue-Collar Partisanship, 1978–2012
3.2 Left-Right Orientation
3.3 Party Identification: Blue-Collar Voters and the Left
3.4 Blue-Collar Attachment to the PS and PCF
3.5 Blue-Collar Party Identification: Generational Change
3.5.1 Political Socialisation
3.5.2 Age-Group
3.5.3 Cohorts
3.6 Blue-Collar Voting in National Elections, 1978–2017
3.6.1 The 1970s
3.6.2 The 1980s
3.6.3 The 1990s
3.6.4 The 2000s
3.7 The Blue-Collar Relationship with the Established Parties
3.7.1 Support for Established and Alternative Parties
3.7.2 Core Vote
3.8 Blue-Collar Dealignment from the PS and PCF
3.8.1 The Marginalisation of the PCF
3.8.2 The Embourgeoisement of the PS
3.9 The Blue-Collar Relationship with the Alternative Parties
3.9.1 Blue-Collar Affiliation with the Alternative Parties
3.9.2 Vote for Alternative Parties in National Elections
3.9.3 Alternative Parties’ Support Bases
3.9.4 The Far Left and Hard Left
3.9.5 The Far Right
3.10 Conclusion
References
Chapter 4: Policy Convergence
4.1 Policy Convergence and Partisanship
4.2 Voters’ Perceptions of Policy Convergence
4.3 Policy Convergence: Evidence from Manifestos
4.3.1 Parties’ Positions on the Left-Right Continuum
4.3.2 The Policy Positions of French Parties
4.4 The Historical Record
4.4.1 The 1982–3 U-Turn
4.4.2 Cohabitation, Alternance and Ouverture
4.4.3 European Integration and Globalisation
4.4.4 Corruption
4.4.5 The Plural Left (La Gauche Plurielle)
4.5 The ‘Centring’ of the Political Discourse of the Established Left
4.5.1 The 1970s
4.5.2 The 1980s
4.5.3 The 1990s
4.5.4 The 2000s
4.6 Conclusion
References
Chapter 5: Value Change
5.1 ‘Old’ and ‘New’ Politics Value Orientations
5.2 Materialism and Postmaterialism in France
5.2.1 Materialism, Postmaterialism and Social Class
5.2.2 Age and Generation
5.2.2.1 Age-Group
5.2.2.2 Cohorts3
5.3 Issue Priorities
5.3.1 Old Versus New Issue Agendas
5.3.2 The Issue Priorities of French Voters
5.4 Value Orientations
5.4.1 Value Orientations and Social Class
5.4.2 Value Orientation and Age-Group
5.4.2.1 Authoritarianism
5.4.2.2 Social Conservatism
5.4.2.3 Ethnocentrism
5.4.3 Ethnocultural Issues
5.4.3.1 Immigration
5.4.3.2 European Integration
5.4.3.3 Globalisation
5.4.3.4 Insecurity
5.4.3.5 Cross-Cutting Tensions
5.5 Value Change and Party Competition
5.5.1 Support for New Political Parties
5.5.2 The Response of the Established Parties of Left and Right
5.5.3 The FN and the Blue-Collar Electorate
5.5.4 The Relative Weight of Economic and Cultural Issues in Blue-Collar Support for the FN
5.6 Conclusion
References
Chapter 6: Political Sophistication
6.1 The Dimensions of Political Sophistication
6.1.1 Measuring Political Sophistication
6.2 Political Sophistication in France, 1978–2012
6.2.1 Education in France
6.2.2 Complexity of Politics and Subjective Competence
6.2.3 Interest in Politics
6.2.3.1 Political Interest and Social Class
6.2.3.2 Political Interest: Age and Generation
6.2.3.3 Political Interest and Education
6.2.3.4 Frequency of Political Discussion
6.2.4 Cognitive Mobilisation
6.3 Political Mobilisation
6.3.1 Political Mobilisation Types in France
6.3.2 Political Mobilisation and Age-Group
6.3.3 Political Mobilisation and Social Class
6.3.4 Blue-Collar Political Mobilisation and the Parties of the Established Left
6.4 Conclusion
References
Chapter 7: Political Trust
7.1 The Dimensions of Political Trust
7.1.1 Political Trust and Cultural Change
7.1.1.1 Individualism and Social Capital
7.1.1.2 The Media
7.2 Measuring Political Trust
7.2.1 Trust in Political Parties
7.2.2 The Functioning of Democracy
7.3 Political Trust: Sociodemographic Variables
7.3.1 Social Class
7.3.1.1 Objective Social Class
7.3.1.2 Subjective Social Class
7.3.2 Education
7.3.3 Age-Group
7.4 Political Trust: Political Variables
7.4.1 Strength of Party Identification
7.4.2 Support for the Left and Right
7.4.3 Support for the Established and Alternative Parties
7.4.4 Political Trust and Blue-Collar Support for the PS and PCF
7.5 Political Trust and the Political Elite
7.5.1 Proximity and Representativeness
7.5.2 Integrity
7.5.3 Competence
7.5.4 Policy Dissatisfaction
7.5.4.1 Unemployment
7.5.4.2 Immigration
7.6 The ‘Social Contract’ Between the Blue-Collar Electorate and the Established Left
7.7 Conclusion
References
Chapter 8: Conclusion
8.1 Differential Dealignment in the Blue-Collar Electorate
8.1.1 Policy Convergence
8.1.2 Value Change
8.1.3 Political Sophistication
8.1.4 Political Trust
8.1.5 The Special Case of the Younger Blue-Collar Voter
8.2 Explaining Differential Dealignment Among Blue-Collar Voters
8.2.1 Critical Junctures
8.2.2 Changing Voters: The End of the ‘Special’ Relationship with the Left?
8.2.3 Changing Parties: The Left’s Response to the New Political Landscape
8.2.4 Changing Discourse: The End of Ideology?
8.2.5 The ‘Social Contract’ Between the Blue-Collar Electorate and the Established Left
8.3 The Political Consequences of the Dealignment of the Blue-Collar Electorate
8.4 Re-engaging the Blue-Collar Electorate
References
Appendix: Data Analysis
Data Sources
CEVIPOF
European Values Study (EVS)
CEVIPOF Surveys 1978–2012
Categories and Coding of ‘Ouvriers’ in CEVIPOF Datasets (Re-coded as ‘Blue-Collar Worker’)
CEVIPOF Variables Used in Data Analysis
Coding for Bivariate Correlations
Index