Michele Ubaldi (University of Turin)
Alessandro Belmonte and Davide Ticchi
This paper studies whether affirmative action policies towards the least privileged groups may foster a backlash by the most privileged group. We exploit the unique historical context provided by the legacy of apartheid in democratic South Africa. We find that the completion of the affirmative action legislation increased the support for far-right parties in national elections by 0.2% to 0.3% on average. We find that this effect is stronger in areas located close to the territories of the former homelands. We also find that affirmative action also changed the voting intentions of the individuals. This effect is primarily driven by increased self-perceived economic insecurity. Finally, we do not find evidence of an effect of the legislation on increased ethnic violence.