The Revival of U.S. Populism: How 39 Years of Manufacturing Losses and Educational Gains Reshaped the Electoral Map

Abstract

The current revival of U.S. right-wing populism reaches back to 1980, a year that marked a broad shift in national production and the demand for labor. In that year, manufacturing employment began a long decline and the wage gap between college and high school graduates began a long expansion. The two trends led to increased concentration of economic activity and increased numbers of college graduates in a small number of local areas, many in coastal states. The result over 39 years was growing geographic alignment of income, educational attainment, and, increasingly, cultural values. The alignment reenforced urban/rural and coastal/interior distinctions and contributed to both the politicization of a four-year college degree and the perception of educated “elites” or “coastal elites” – central parts of today’s populist worldview.

Keywords: manufacturing, polarization, populism, bi-coastal economy, college degree, revival

JEL Classification: N62, O51, R12