The role of identity in politics

This thesis investigates the multifaceted role of identity in shaping political behavior and preferences, specifically focusing on patriotism, political positioning, and attitudes towards income redistribution. Building upon established theories of social identity, political psychology, and rational choice, we develop a comprehensive theoretical framework that integrates multiple dimensions of identity salience and conflict. The framework incorporates a Simple Identity-Based Political Choice (SIPC) model, a Conflict of Interest (COI) model accounting for identity trade-offs, insights from Intergroup Threat Theory (ITT) to capture dynamic identity shifts, and a Spherical Political Position model to represent multi-dimensional political identities beyond the traditional left-right spectrum. The theoretical model generates several propositions regarding how the relative salience of different identities (e.g., national, religious, political), perceived intergroup threats, and the structure of identity conflicts influence individual choices related to political expression and policy preferences. empirical test utilizing data samples from european countries, Balkans and russia Employing fixed-effects and instrumental variable fixed-effects regression techniques to address potential endogeneity, we examine the relationships between measures of religious identity importance, political identity importance, political positioning, and preferences for income redistribution. The empirical analysis consistently reveals a positive association between religious identity salience and patriotism across different regions, an effect often strengthened when accounting for endogeneity using confidence in religious institutions as an instrument. The relationship between the importance of politics and political positioning appears complex, with FE models suggesting a leftward lean and using IV confidence in political parties model indicating a rightward lean, highlighting significant endogeneity. Political positioning generally correlates positively with preferences for less income redistribution, although the significance varies across regions. These findings underscore the significant, yet complex and context-dependent, influence of identity on political attitudes and preferences, offering valuable insights into the mechanisms linking identity politics to policy outcomes.