Deprivation: lack of resources or motivation to participate. Evidence from a lab experiment

What are the effects of economic deprivation on political participation? Classical theories of participation in protest argue that those who publicly express their discontent seek to express grievances arising from relative deprivation, frustration or perceived injustice. However an alternative approach considers that deprivation implies a reduction in resources and hence should lead to a reduction in participation. This puzzle is especially relevant in a context where the economic crisis has seriously affected the resources of thousands of people who struggle to survive with dignity and has also generated situations of relative deprivation on account of the impact of austerity policy on income and social security expectations. This study is based on a game experiment which simulates deprivation in order to provide evidence on the extent in which deprivation leads to a loss of resources that disincentive political participation or, on the contrary, generates perceptions of injustice and emotional reactions that encourage participation in protest. We find that deprivation is related to higher levels of protest, and that the role of moral outrage is a key mediating factor to understand the behaviour of individuals who are deprived. Differences between absolute, relative and group deprivation signal to the importance of the grievance formation process and the social logic of collective action. The implications of these results are relevant for the study of psychological determinants of behaviour in the context of economic crisis. Keywords: Protest, deprivation, crisis, political engagement, attitudes