The Glue that Binds or Drives us apart? The Link between Nationalism and Redistributive Solidarity

Solidarity is a key ingredient to making society work. Yet, recent developments such as the refugee crisis and the declining support for social democratic parties question the degree of solidarity in Western societies. So what could increase solidarity? The national identity argument claims that increased nationalism, in terms of national attachments, can foster solidarity. While this claim was proven in some cases, several others challenged it. This paper sets out to put the national identity argument to a severe empirical test by distinguishing the three forms of nationalism: national belonging, national pride, and national chauvinism. Moreover, the paper measures solidarity in terms of general and personal solidarity and welfare chauvinism. The data stems from national surveys in the UK (BSAS) and the Netherlands (LISS). The results reveal that the nationalism-solidarity link highly depends on what type of nationalism and solidarity one is looking at.