From Class Representativeness to Class Gap: The Social Transformation of the Left Political Elites in Switzerland (1910-2016)

Together with Andrea Pilotti, Roberto Di Capua, and Karim Lasseb, Sinergia PhD candidate Baptiste Antoniazza has drafted a new working paper on the evoluation of left politicians profiles in Switzerland. The paper aims to study the crisis of the representation of the Swiss working class through an analysis of the socio-professional profile of the local, cantonal and national elected representatives of the Swiss left-wing parties (Socialist Party and Radical left parties) from 1910 to 2016. The analysis, based on biographical data regarding around 1500 left-wing elected representatives subdivided in six cohorts from 1910 to 2016, shows some significant changes in their socio-professional profile which take place in the same period also characterized by important transformations in the electorate of the left-wing parties.

Professional groups among the left-wing elected representatives in Switzerland (1910-2016), in %