Place matters: Analyzing the roots of political distrust and Brexit narratives at a local level

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Olivas Osuna, Jose Javier; Kiefel, Max; Katsouyanni, Kira Gartzou
• 署名单位: Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED); University of London; London School Economics & Political Science
• 刊物名称: GOVERNANCE-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF POLICY ADMINISTRATION AND INSTITUTIONS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0952-1895
• DOI: 10.1111/gove.12545
• 发表日期: 2021
• 关键词: trust; VOTE; CONSEQUENCES; immigration; Referendum; GOVERNMENT; populism; support; ECONOMY; CRISIS

摘要

Based on comparative qualitative research in five local authority areas, this article argues that local context is key to understanding the roots of the U.K.'s crisis of political trust and the result of the 2016 E.U. referendum. The competing cultural and economic causes of discontent suggested by the literature were found to be deeply intertwined when analyzed from a local perspective. The sense of political disempowerment and negative attitudes toward migration were ingrained in and reinforced by locally specific socio-economic and political trajectories. These experiences were articulated and amplified by dominant discourses, which channeled frustration against the political elite and the E.U. These populist narratives, promoted by the Leave campaign and the tabloid press, became dominant in certain areas, decisively shaping citizens' voting behavior. Overall, the article highlights the value of studying how local experiences and interpretations mediate the interplay of cultural and economic causes of discontent and political distrust.