Emergent Forms of Political Equality: The Role of Contentious Politics in Levelling the Playing Field of Political Engagement

To what extent does protest level the playing field of political participation? Since the outburst of the so-called social media revolutions worldwide, emergent repertoires of protest have increased the involvement of multiple profiles of individuals which are quite different from the usual demonstrators or the radical activists. This Paper speaks to research on political inequality and electoral effects of protest by exploring how emergent forms of participation may encourage as well the electoral involvement of the least well-off. Cross-level analyses from a representative survey of Barcelona and protest event data between 2010 and 2016 show positive effects of different context-level repertoires of protest on electoral behaviour. Resources are less important in explaining turnout for individuals that have been involved in protest in the past and for individuals that are in settings with high levels of local protest mobilization. These results show that expanding repertoires of contention may raise new opportunities for generating an equality of voice that is central to democracy.