Feeling overlooked: A rural–urban divide in recognition
| Published date | 01 November 2024 |
| Author | Marie Hyland,Massimiliano Mascherini,Michèle Lamont |
| Date | 01 November 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13454 |
Global Policy. 2024;15:807–822.
|
807
wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/gpol
1 | THE GROWING DISCONTENT
OF EUROPE'S RURAL POPULATION
Since late January 2024, a wave of farmer protests has
swept across Europe, taking European politicians by
surprise and highlighting a rising dis content within rural
communities (Hyland et al.,20 24). Initially erupting in
France (Reuters,2024), the movement quickly spread to
other countries. Hundreds of tractors bloc ked Brussels
city centre while the European Parliament was pelted
by eggs (Politico, 2024). While farmers' top concerns
vary from country to countr y, chief among them were
economic pressures from surging input c osts, competi-
tion from imports and stric ter environmental regulations
(Corriere della Sera,2024; France24,2024).
The current farmer protests highlight specific c on-
cerns with economic pressures and environ mental
policies, but tensions between rural an d urban commu-
nities have existed for a long time. The rural–urban di -
vide is a complex issue driven by economic, s ocial and
cultural factors with profound implications for the so cial
cohesion and stability of European so cieties (European
Committee of the Regions, 2022).
Research has documented the signific ant differ-
ences in economic oppor tunities and social conditions
between rural and urban areas (Eurofound, 2023).
These include a rural– urban gap in incomes, employ-
ment rates, educational attainment, as well as broad -
band connectivity and th e provision of public services.
All these gaps are in favour of the urban population.
However, the divide is not only seen in material re-
sources but also perceived in recogniti on and status
(Lamont,2 018), and it can affect political and demo-
cratic stability (De Moor,2016; Krause & Wagner,2021).
This phenomenon is not limited to the European
continent. Discontent among rural populations is
evident in the United States also, which is associ -
ated with an increase in support for the Repub lican
Party (Brown & Mettler,2023; Cramer, 2016; Metl ler
& Brown,2022). Krugman (2024) highlights the role
of technological change in the lo ss of jobs that has
been ‘devastating’ to rural America. He notes that
while technological advances have benefited the US
economy and society as a whole, they have led to
a significant decline in oppor tunities for rural areas.
Moreover, alongside the loss of jobs, there has been
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Feeling overlooked: A rural–urban divide in recognition
MarieHyland1 | MassimilianoMascherini1 | MichèleLamont2
Received: 29 Febr uary 2024
|
Revise d: 17 September 2024
|
Accep ted: 17 September 2024
DO I: 10 .1111/17 58- 589 9.13 454
© 2024 Durham Univer sity and John Wiley & Son s Ltd.
1European Foundation for the
Improvement of Liv ing and Working
Conditions, Dublin, Ireland
2Harvard Univer sity Department of
Sociology, Cambridge, Massachusetts,
USA
Correspondence
Massimiliano Mascherini, European
Foundation for th e Improvement of Living
and Working Conditions, Wyattville Road,
Loughlinstow n, Co. Dublin, D18 KP65,
Ireland.
Email: mam@eurofound.europa.eu
Abstract
The farmers' protests sweeping across Europe during the early month of 20 24
have highlighted the discontent felt by many residing in rural areas. Protests
have been motivated by increasing input costs, falling prices of agricultural pro-
duce and more stringent regulations. In this pa per, we go beyond the economic
rationale for the protests and ask what broader sociolog ical factors could be
driving rural discontent. To this aim, we investigate political ‘recognition gap s’
between rural residents and their urban c ounterparts – that is, the differences in
the degree to which people feel respec ted and recognised by their governments.
Using data collected in the spring of 2022 ac ross the 27 Member States of the
European Union, we document that a sizeable proporti on of the sample perceive
a lack of fair treatment and respect from their governments. Notably, these gaps
in perceived respect are significantly l arger in rural compared to urban areas. The
differences in perceived recognit ion between rural and urban areas hold even
after controlling for a wide range of socio demographic characteristics, showing
that it is not just differences in the obser vable characteristics between rural and
urban residents that are driving these dif ferent levels of perceived recognition.
808
|
HYLAND etal.
a loss of dignity among rural com munities. In a study
of the relative degree of backlash towards globali-
sation in the United States, France and Germany,
Abdelal (2020, page 493) argues that ‘it's not just
about the money’. In France, anti- globalisation and
populist sentiment exist despite a significant redistri-
bution of income from the better to the less well - off.
Abdelal highlights that what the losers from globalisa-
tion have lost is not just financial resources but also
dignity and respect.
In this paper, we explore cultural differences be-
tween rural and urban areas using the conc ept of the
recognition gap, as developed by Lamont(2018 ). Using
a unique set of data collected in the spring of 202 2, we
bring new evidence on rural– urban gaps in feelings of
recognition and respect wit h the goal of shedding light
on the recent exacerbation of the rural/urban confli cts
in the European Union (EU). Our results show that,
in almost all countries in the EU, those living in rural
areas are less likely than their more urban counterparts
to feel that they themselves and their communities are
respected and recognised by governments. More over,
these gaps in political recog nition hold even after con-
trolling for a wide range of socio- economic and demo-
graphic characteristics that may be associated with
feeling of recognition.
The paper proceeds as follows, in the next sec tion
we outline the relevant literature on the rural–urban di -
vide as well as on recognition gaps. Followin g that, we
present our conceptual framework and hypotheses to
be tested. Next, we describe our data source and met h-
odology to operationalise the ‘political recognition gap’,
as well as our empirical approach. Following this, we
present the results of our analysis. In the final section,
we discuss the implications of political recognition gaps
for social cohesion and politic al stability in Europe and
present some concluding remarks.
2 | LITERATURE REVIEW
Our research is related to two broad strands of liter-
ature. The first relates to differences, both economic
and cultural, between rural and urban areas. The sec -
ond is the literature related to the ‘recognition gap’
(Lamont,2018).
Recent research (Eurofound,2023) has shown that,
within the continent of Europe, notable difference s
can be observed in the culture espous ed in rural and
urban areas. On the one hand, urban areas tend to be
more cosmopolitan, meaning that they are more open
to diversity, multiculturalism and global influences.
Urban dwellers are more likely to embrace liberal and
progressive values, such as individualism, secular-
ism, human rights and environmentalism. In contrast,
rural dwellers tend to prioritise local and nati onal iden-
tity, tradition and sovereignty and are more likely to
embrace conservative and traditional values, su ch as
family, religion, patriotism and the rural lifestyle. The
same research has demonstrated that rural reside nts
have lower average levels of income, employment op-
portunities and education.
According to the research of Hansen (2006), the
fact that rural residents tend to have lower levels of
education, income and mobilit y may limit the exposure
of rural residents to diversity and cosmo politanism.
Hansen (2006) also illustrates how tensions between
rural and urban areas can be amplified by a phenom -
enon known as ‘urban imperialism’. This refers to the
dominance and influence of urban culture, values and
institutions over rural areas. Urban imperialism can be
seen in the way that urban areas tend to set the stan-
dards and norms of culture, the media, educ ation and
politics, which are then dif fused to rural areas. This can
lead to the homogenisation and marginalisation of rural
cultures and identities. Urban imperialism c an also ex-
acerbate the rural–urban div ide, as rural areas may
feel excluded or oppressed by urban hegemony who,
ultimately, are more likely to design policies for rural
Policy Implications
• The growing divid e between Europe's rural
and urban areas is becoming an increasing
threat to political trust and social coh esion.
• Inequalities in living conditions and senti-
ments of not being recognised or valued may
be one of the explanations behind the rise of
populist movements in Europe.
• Politicians and decision- makers must ur-
gently deploy place- based policies that
ensure the provision of high- quality public
services to improve living conditio ns in rural
areas and ensure that rural residents feel
valued.
• Opportunities for education, training and
employment of young people in rural areas
should be provided through the implementa-
tion of the reinforced Youth Guarantee.
• Investments such as these would help
achieve the goal of geographically balanced
economic growth as set out in the Lis bon
Treaty that established the legal framework
of the European Union and made territorial
cohesion the third articu lated dimension of
European cohesion policy.
• Su ch investments could also signal to rural
communities their import ance in terms
of overall European economic and social
development.
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