Left-behind Regions in Poland, Germany, Czechia: Classification and Electoral Implications
Thünen Working Paper 261
Josef Bernard, Martin Refisch, Anna Grzelak, Jerzy Banski, Larissa Deppisch, Michal Konopski, Tomáš Kostelecký, Mariusz Kowalski, Andreas Klärner
This paper presents a novel approach for measuring regional left-behindness and examines its role in explaining voting patterns in Germany, Poland, and Czechia. Through our methodology, we validate the "geography of discontent" thesis as a central factor across all three countries. Proponents of this thesis have argued that the growing support for populist, right-wing nationalist-conservative, and anti-system parties is often closely tied to spatial patterns of regional inequality. While this theory has been extensively tested in Western Europe, it has received limited attention in Central and Eastern Europe. Our multidimensional approach to left-behindness provides a nuanced framework for understanding the spatial dynamics of populist voting in this region.
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