ABSTRACT
Chapter 6 examines the role of institutional variables (electoral rules), macro-economic factors, economic evaluations, and indicators of economic distress and political discontent in explaining the vote for RLPs. The analyses combine country-level data and individual-level data. The chapter first assesses the influence of electoral system (dis)proportionality on the likelihood to vote for the Radical Left. After that, it assesses the effect of macro-economic performance, social expenditure, and voters’ economic situation and evaluations of the macro-economy. Finally, the chapter evaluates the effect of lack of trust in representative institutions and dissatisfaction with democracy in fostering electoral support for West European RLPs. Findings show that both economic distress (not only in the form of aggregate unemployment rates but also in the form of individual economic hardship) and lack of trust and dissatisfaction with democratic institutions foster support for RLPs in a significant manner. The chapter makes an important contribution to our understanding of why some RLPs are occasionally more successful than others.
