Focusing on policy change hides systematic blocking of lower-income preferences

Evidence

Much of the recent literature on unequal responsiveness suggests that this is not the case; policies tend to align more closely with the preferences of high-­income citizens (Pontusson 2024; Lupu and Warner 2022). … Existing research has been presented as focusing primarily on whose demands for change get met (Gilens 2012; Persson and Sundell 2024; Bartels 2016), but this emphasis on policy change overlooks a powerful mechanism driving unequal responsiveness: the systematic blocking of reforms that are in line with the preferences of lower income citizens while the status quo is in accordance with the preferences of high-­income citizens. — Mikael Persson and Anders Sundell, Blocking the Poor, 13

Categorization

• SEED: Essay angle: most political journalism measures representation by who wins new policy, which structurally hides the veto power that keeps the poor stuck.