Trigger points: inequality and political polarisation in contemporary society

Today’s political debates are fiercely polarised. But looking beyond the headlines, ordinary citizens hold much more nuanced, less divided views.

Drawing on rich survey data and group discussions, Trigger Points maps four major areas of conflict: migration, climate change, diversity, and economic justice. Across these conflicts, most citizens take positions that are middle-of-the-road, contradictory, or undecided. It is only certain ‘trigger points' – like gendered pronouns or refugee admissions – that predictably ignite tensions and deep disagreement. Political entrepreneurs know this and weaponize trigger points for their agenda. Yet the real key to contemporary conflicts, the book argues, lies in social inequality.

After examining the key insights from the book, our panel will reflect on the lessons learned for the UK context and what the book’s arguments reveal about inequality, polarisation and public debate in Britain today.

Meet our speakers and chair

Steffen Mau is Director at the Max Planck Institute of Political and Social Science and Professor of Macrosociology at Humboldt-University of Berlin. Previously, he was Professor of Political Sociology in Bremen. He is the author of various books including ‘Sorting Machines: The Re-invention of the Border in the 21st Century’ and ‘Trigger Points: Inequality and Political Polarization in Contemporary Society’.

Sacha Hilhorst is an ethnographer studying the changing politics of England’s (post-)industrial towns. She is a Hallsworth fellow at the University of Manchester and a visiting fellow at the LSE, as well as working with Common Wealth, the think tank.

Jonathan Hopkin is Professor of Comparative Politics in the Department of Government at LSE. His research has mostly focused on political parties and political economy in Western Europe (and specifically Italy, Spain and the UK), with particular attention to inequality and anti-system politics. He is the author of Party Formation and Democratic Transition in Spain (Macmillan 1999) and Anti-System Politics (OUP 2020)

Naila Kabeer is Emeritus Professor of Gender and Development at LSE’s Department of International Development. She is a Faculty Associate of the International Inequalities Institute and directs its Gender Justice and Wellbeing Economy research programme. Her research focuses on gender, poverty, labour markets and social protection, and she has advised international and bilateral agencies and NGOs. Her latest book is Renegotiating Patriarchy: Gender, Agency and the Bangladesh Paradox.

More about this event

The International Inequalities Institute at LSE brings together experts from many of the School's departments and centres to lead cutting-edge research focused on understanding why inequalities are escalating in numerous arenas across the world, and to develop critical tools to address these challenges.

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