"Levelling up communities": How place-based policies affect political behaviour- The Case of Germany

Amid the rise of territorial inequalities and anti-mainstream support, politicians have increasingly called for place-based policies to revitalise deprived cities, towns or neighbourhoods through economic investment (e.g. investment in rail, road, broadband and housing infrastructure) and social cohesion projects. Advocates of such policies argue that they are likely to reduce spatial disparities that caused discontent and radical right support in more economically deprived areas. However, little is known about whether, and if so how, such policies affect political behaviour. While urban geographers have mainly assessed the economic consequences of these policies, radical right scholars have not yet tested if urban policies can mitigate the spread of radical right extremism. This paper aims to speak to these two literatures by assessing the impact of urban regeneration policies on political participation and radical right support. To do so, we focus on the ‘Social City Programme’ in Germany which is an urban regeneration policy that combines economic investment and social cohesion projects to boost local economies and increase civic and political engagement. Difference-in-difference designs using electoral and census data, supplemented by information on municipalities (“Gemeinden”) that received this programme since its implementation in 1999, allow us to compare the turnout and radical right vote shares of municipalities that receive this programme with similar municipalities that did not receive it. This paper provides important insights into whether place-based policies are successful at promoting political participation and curbing radical right support.