Economic Shocks and Populist Narratives: Evidence from Firms and Plant crises in France
This project investigates the causal effects of localized economic shocks on the rise of populist narratives and electoral outcomes in France. Using detailed French administrative data on firms and employees, the study exploits firms / plant crises as natural experiments to estimate how labor market disruptions impact political behavior and discourse. It contributes to the broader literature on economic insecurity, political polarization, and democratic resilience, and builds on the research agenda of the VALPOP project.