New conflicts’ mapping in the age of globalization (newcoming)

Seymour Lipset and Stein Rokkan’s theory of social cleavages remains a cornerstone of political science, though its relevance in the age of globalization is increasingly debated. The NEWCOMING project (New Conflicts’ Mapping in the Age of Globalization) addresses this debate by collecting original cross-sectional survey data in seven Western European countries. Through quantitative analyses, the project assesses the persistence of traditional cleavages and the emergence of new ones, examining whether Western Europe is structured by a single ‘globalization’ cleavage or by multiple, fragmented conflicts. The survey focuses on individuals’ positions, the salience and identity-forming capacity of conflicts, and political parties’ ability to represent them. In addition, NEWCOMING investigates the roots of political disengagement through semi-structured interviews with politically alienated citizens, aiming to advance understanding of both cleavage politics and democratic change in Western Europe.