Class Gap in Protest Participation

Viktoriia Muliavka is a postdoctoral researcher of comparative public policy at the University of Bamberg with a doctoral degree in sociology from the Polish Academy of Sciences. Her research and teaching focus on social inequalities, protest participation, welfare state preferences, and democratic resilience. Her work has been published in journals such as Social Movement Studies and Democratization.

• 1. Introduction2. On the Intersection of Class and Region2.1. Class Inequality and Protest Participation2.2. Uneven Development and Post-socialist transformations3. Production vs Service workers: Cross-Regional Disparities in Class Composition4. Inequality, Redistribution and Protest Participation4.1. Economic Inequality and the Relative Power4.2. The Role of Labour Market Policies and Safety Nets in the Working-Class Protest Gap5. Political Mobilisation from the Left5.1. Union Membership and Mobilizing Infrastructure5.2 Left Collective Attitudes and the Working-Class Protest Gap6. ConclusionAppendix A. Representation of Data across Time by Country (ESS 2002-2018)Appendix B. Class Structure of Central Eastern and Western Europe based on Oesch 8-class scheme (2002-2018)Appendix C. The Variance in the Share of Occupational Groups in Post-socialist and Western Europe by Countries based on Oesch 8-class Scheme (2018)Index

“Why do workers in the western part of Europe protest more than their counterparts in the former communist countries? A clichéd answer is that the main culprit is (usually poorly specified) legacies of communism. Equipped with a sophisticated understanding of the world-system theory, solid statistical skills, and creative mind, Muliavka shows that due to considerable differences in the institutional architecture, capitalism in the core and more peripheral regions of Europe works differently, generating different incentives for political and civic engagement, including participation in protest actions.”Jan Kubik, Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University and University College London"In 'The Class Gap in Protest Participation,' the author masterfully bridges critical gaps in our understanding of socio-political dynamics and protest movements. Building upon a rigorous analysis, the book unveils the nuanced interplay between class structures and political engagement. Essential for scholars and practitioners alike, it challenges and expands the discourse, offering fresh insights into the mechanics of protest participation. A seminal work, it is indispensable for anyone delving into contemporary social movements and political activism."Mikołaj Cześnik, Professor of Political Science, SWPS University"Muliavka’s book offers a most needed contribution on the relationship between class and protest participation across CEE and West European regions. In doing so, it succeeds at bringing the structural bases of political conflicts at centre stage, bridging different levels of analysis, and offering a role model for the organization of meaningful empirical research."Martín Portos, Ramón y Cajal Fellow, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid