Leveling the Political Playing Field: Can Democracy Deliver on its Promise of Equal Political Opportunity?

Prof. Karl-Oskar Lindgren is invited by the Collège de France assembly at the suggestion of Prof. Philippe Aghion.

Abstract

Alexis de Tocqueville once highlighted the love for equality as a defining characteristic of democratic nations. Yet, despite this observation, inequality of political opportunity remains widespread in most developed democracies. One striking example of this is that individuals born into economically or politically marginalized families are considerably less likely to grow up to become politically active citizens than their more fortunate peers. In this lecture series, we explore various explanations for the transmission of political influence within families and between generations, and discuss potential solutions to break this chain of political inequality.