LAUSR

Prior research shows that the effect of partisanship on social expenditure declined over time in OECD countries. In this article, the author argues that the 2007/08 recession resulted in the re-emergence of partisan policy making in social spending. This was a result of mainstream parties needing to respond to the growing challenge from non-mainstream parties as well as demonstrating that they responded to the economic crisis by offering different policy solutions. Using a panel of 23 OECD countries, the author shows that since the Great Recession, partisan effects on social spending are once again significant. These effects are more likely to be observed where the salience of the Left-Right dimension is higher. In accordance with classic theories of economic policy making, left-wing governments are more likely to increase social spending when unemployment is higher and right-wing governments restrain social expenditure when the budget deficit is greater. ∗This is the pre-print version of the article published in Governance