… Mr. Trump’s rise to the presidency prompted widespread efforts to understand the motivations of the white working-class voters who propelled him into the White House. It fueled scorching debates over the role that racism played in the presidential election. Economists proposed that workers in distress because of trade and […] Read more »
As Population Growth Slows, Populism Surges
… The last time that populism — what we broadly define as political movements that ostensibly set the interests of “ordinary people” against elites as well as an “other” — swept across Europe and the United States was marked by the same combination of slow economic and fertility growth that […] Read more »
The Republican Party’s Generational Bet
Representative Martha McSally, the establishment favorite for the Republican Senate nomination in Arizona, took the unusual step this week of removing her name as a co-sponsor of legislation to provide a path to citizenship for the so-called “Dreamers,” young people brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents. … McSally’s […] Read more »
The Eroding GOP Resistance to Trump’s Immigration Agenda
The results of Tuesday’s primary elections simultaneously bolstered the Republican Party mainstream and demonstrated how much ground it has yielded to Donald Trump, particularly on the volatile issue of immigration. In several key races, GOP primary voters rejected candidates who presented themselves as the most ardent acolytes of Trump, in […] Read more »
Research Finds That Racism, Sexism, and Status Fears Drove Trump Voters
America is the world’s dominant superpower, and white Christian males sit at the top of our nation’s food chain. That’s the right and proper hierarchy, and it’s under serious threat. When blue-collar whites heard that implied message from Donald Trump, many realized it aligned with their own beliefs. As a […] Read more »
Americans are more protectionist — and nativist — in places where trade has cost people their jobs
As promised, the Trump administration has launched a trade war with China. The markets are going down as tariffs are going up. These opening salvos could have drastic implications for both the U.S. and Chinese economies. That makes understanding how trade affects U.S. workers all the more important. My research […] Read more »