Citizens and the Crisis

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvii

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2. Citizens and the Crisis: Perceptions, Experiences, and Responses to the Great Recession in Nine Democracies

   • Marco Giugni, Maria T. Grasso

   Pages 1-25

3. Citizens, the Crisis, and Institutional Politics

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 27-27

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   2. Austerity, Politics, and Partisanship in the UK

      • Luke Temple, Maria T. Grasso

      Pages 29-60

   3. Economic Crisis, Populist Attitudes, and the Birth of Podemos in Spain

      • Eva Anduiza, Marc Guinjoan, Guillem Rico

      Pages 61-81

   4. Unfinished Transformation or Neoliberal Economy? Exploring the Legitimisation Divide in Poland

      • Maria Theiss, Anna Kurowska

      Pages 83-112

4. Citizens, the Crisis, and Extra-Institutional Politics

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 113-113

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   2. A Post-contentious Turning Point for the Contentious French? Crisis Without Protest in France

      • Didier Chabanet, Manlio Cinalli, Anne Muxel, Steven M. Van Hauwaert, Thierry Vedel

      Pages 115-139

   3. Political Consumerism and Participation in Times of Crisis in Italy

      • Lorenzo Zamponi, Lorenzo Bosi

      Pages 141-163

   4. Experiences of the Economic Crisis: Volunteering in Social Solidarity Networks During the Recession in Greece

      • Stefania Kalogeraki

      Pages 165-186

5. The Social Bases of the Crisis

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 187-187

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   2. An Island of Bliss—For Everyone? Perceptions and Experiences of the Crisis Across Social Classes in Germany

      • Johannes Kiess, Christian Lahusen

      Pages 189-214

   3. The Silent Crisis: Perceptions and Experiences of the Economic Crisis in Switzerland

      • Marco Giugni, Maria M. Mexi

      Pages 215-238

   4. Critical Men? Perceptions of Crisis Without Crisis in Sweden

      • Katrin Uba

      Pages 239-260

   5. Citizens and the Crisis: The Great Recession as Constraint and Opportunity

      • Marco Giugni, Maria T. Grasso

      Pages 261-278

6. Back Matter

   Pages 279-304

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This volume presents evidence-based research on citizens’ experiences and reactions to the Great Recession in Europe. How did European citizen experience and react to the crisis? How are the experiences of crisis and political responses socially differentiated? Are some social classes and more deprived groups particularly hard hit? How did the crisis impact on political choices? What types of political action did citizens engage in and why? What were the drivers of populist attitudes and protest participation? This country-based book explores these important dynamics as expressed in diverse national contexts, namely France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and UK. Each chapter focuses on one of these countries and employs data from the same survey fielded in 2015. This volume is of particular relevance for scholars, students, and practitioners interested in political sociology, comparative politics and European politics. 

• Economic recession
• Great Recession in Europe
• European political sociology
• political action in Europe
• comparative European politics
• citizen reactions to Eurocrisis
• institutional politics
• populist attitudes in Europe
• Eurocrisis reactions in France
• Eurocrisis reactions in Greece
• Eurocrisis reactions in Spain
• Eurocrisis reactions in Italy
• Eurocrisis reactions in Greece
• Eurocrisis reactions in Germany
• Eurocrisis reactions in Switzerland
• Eurocrisis reactions in Sweden
• political consumerism
• economic politics

“While the Great Recession is a global phenomenon, its forms and dynamics have varied cross-nationally, together with the social crisis that austerity policies have brought about. As a legitimacy crisis at the political level interacted with long-lasting economic recession, different groups of the population reacted in various ways—from political protests to electoral behaviours, from the prefiguration  of alternative ways of living to the elaboration of new ideas and knowledge. Reporting the results of a rich and rigorous empirical analysis covering nine European countries, this collected volume offers important evidence on the effects of the transformation of capitalism on citizens, but also on their agency in hard times.” (Professor Donatella della Porta, Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy)

“Based on an original and extensive survey carried out in nine countries in 2015, this collection of carefully crafted country studies explores the impact on the Great Recession on the livedexperience as well as political attitudes and behavior of European citizens. Relative to existing literature on this topic, the volume is distinguished by its attention to the private sphere as well as the public sphere and by its attention to different forms of political participation. It is also distinguished by its attention to the specificities of each national context. By shedding light on important changes in citizens’ perceptions, attitudes and behavior, the volume contributes to our understanding of how the Great Recession prepared the ground for recent changes in the dynamics of national politics across Europe.” (Professor Jonas Pontusson, University of Geneva, Switzerland)

• University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

  Marco Giugni

• University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom

  Maria T. Grasso

Marco Giugni is Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations and Director of the Institute of Citizenship Studies (InCite) at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. His research interests focus on social movements and protests, social exclusion and the participation of disadvantaged and discriminated groups, such as the unemployed and immigrants.

Maria T. Grasso is Professor at the Department of Politics, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom. She is the author of Generations, Political Participation and Social Change in Western Europe (2016) and co-editor of Austerity and Protest: Popular Contention in Times of Economic Crisis (with M. Giugni, 2015). Her research focuses on political sociology and political engagement.

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