Economic development, mobility, and political discontent: An experimental test of Tocqueville’s thesis in Pakistan

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dc.creatorHealy, Andrew
dc.creatorKosec, Katrina
dc.creatorMo, Cecilia Hyunjung
dc.date2017
dc.date2024-06-21T09:22:58Z
dc.date2024-06-21T09:22:58Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T15:43:28Z
dc.descriptionWe consider the thesis of Alexis de Tocqueville (1856) that economic development and increased mobility may generate political discontent not present in more stagnant economies. For many citizens, as they become aware of the potential for improved living standards, their aspirations may increase faster than actual living standards. Expanded opportunity may then paradoxically result in dissatisfaction with government rather than greater confidence. We develop a formal model to capture Tocqueville’s (1856) verbal theory and test its predictions using a 2012–2013 face-to-face survey experiment conducted in Pakistan. The experiment utilizes established treatments to subtly manipulate either a participant’s perceptions of her own economic well-being, her perceptions of society-wide mobility, or both. As predicted by the theory, political discontent rises when declining personal well-being coincides with high mobility to create unrealized aspirations. The results thus identify the conditions under which expanded economic opportunity can lead to political unrest.
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/147507
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/112828
dc.languageen
dc.publisherCambridge University Press
dc.relationhttps://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/pakistan/2017-09-18/when-prosperity-leads-disaffection
dc.relationhttps://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133520
dc.relationhttps://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133537
dc.sourceHealy, Andrew; Kosec, Katrina; and Mo, Cecilia Hyunjung. 2017. Economic development, mobility, and political discontent: An experimental test of Tocqueville’s thesis in Pakistan. American Political Science Review 111(3): 605-621. https://doi.org/10.1017/S000305541700017X
dc.subjecteconomic situation
dc.subjecteconomic development
dc.subjectliving standards
dc.titleEconomic development, mobility, and political discontent: An experimental test of Tocqueville’s thesis in Pakistan
dc.typeJournal Article

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Instituto Internacional de Investigación sobre Políticas Alimentarias (IFPRI)