Transformations and social inequality

Transformations and social inequality

Talk by Reinhard Pollak - Professor GESIS Mannheim and University of Mannheim

Germany’s reunification offers a unique case to examine how major social transformations shape inequality, values, and political attitudes. This talk explores three themes: how East–West transitions affected social mobility, whether norms—such as equality and gender attitudes—have converged, and how citizens respond to ongoing societal changes. It also considers whether change fatigue or transformation resilience differs between East and West, drawing on diverse empirical data.

Abstract:

Experiences from fundamental social transformations echoe in both, in disrupted life-courses and attitudes on the individual level, and in new distributions of inequality and attitudes on the societal level. Germany is a prime case to study the relationship between transformation and social inequality, as the reunification of East and West Germany offers empirical evidence on fundamental transitions within one nation.

The talk will focus on the role of transformations in three areas:

(1) Life chances: economic inequality has been low in the former German Democratic Republic, especially with regard to income inequality. However, social mobility has been limited, as the cadres managed to inherit their favorable positions to their offspring in the late era of the GDR. How did the transformation of East Germany affect social mobility rates in Germany and did the mobility rates converge over time after reunification?

(2) Norms and values: The GDR claimed to promote equality. Equality has been seen as an important value, for example  with respect to gender equality. After reunification, did these norms and values converge over time between East and West? Did East German citizens adopt social and political values from the West? Or do we still find significant differences between East and West?

(3) Attitudes towards transformation: Arguably, European societies currently face a set of new transformations in multiple areas. The war of Russia in Ukraine, climate change, the aging of societies, digitalization of work, an increase in migration to Europe, and structural changes in the economy urge people to adapt to new conditions. At the same time, populist parties gain support with the promise to stop these transformations. Are people tired of transformations, so they choose populist parties? Do we witness a change fatigue, especially in East Germany - given the fundamental transformations these citizens experience? Or, on the contrary, are East German citizens better prepared for transformations compared to West German citizens, given their experiences? Do attitudes towards transformations vary by East/West or do they vary by social inequality and structural disadvantages?

The talk will empirically address these issues based on various data sets and discuss implications for research and policies.