Are “bad” jobs bad for democracy? Precarious work and electoral participation in Europe

Abstract:

While socioeconomic inequality in voting has been central for research on electoral participation, recent years have seen radical changes in labor relations. The key issue is increasing prevalence of precarious work, involving dimensions as non-indefinite tenure and limited control over work activities. While occupations traditionally were the locus of political socialization, there is scarce research connecting occupational uncertainty to electoral participation. To fill this void, we develop a framework that connects the multiple dimensions of precarious work to electoral participation.