WVS webinar. Beyond Grievance: Happiness as a Psychological Buffer to Radicalization

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/gd2slkbVRwCXwze7IN8r3g

Beyond Grievance: Happiness as a Psychological Buffer to Radicalization. This study demonstrates that subjective well-being reduces ideological radicalization, leveraging global microdata from the World Values Survey. We develop a novel measure of radicalization (combining xenophobia, authoritarianism, and institutional distrust) and employ instrumental variables (2SLS) to address endogeneity, using social engagement and identity coherence as exogenous shifters of happiness. Results show a causal, negative relationship: a one-unit rise in well-being decreases radicalization by 0.17 standard deviations, with effects strongest among low-income groups. The findings challenge grievance-based theories of extremism, revealing well-being as a psychological buffer against radical attitudes. We further show this effect is amplified by social cohesion and economic security, suggesting welfare policies may indirectly bolster democratic resilience. By integrating political psychology and econometric rigor, the study redefines radicalization as not merely ideological but rooted in emotional welfare, offering actionable insights for non-coercive counter-extremism strategies.

Ioannis Petrakis is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University. He joined Northumbria in 2024 as a Lecturer in Economics and was appointed Assistant Professor (Senior Lecturer) in Economics in 2025. Previously, he worked as a Research Fellow in Economics at the University of Aberdeen and taught economics at Glasgow International College, University of Glasgow. He holds a PhD in Economics from Glasgow Caledonian University, and his research interests include applied economics, household and personal finance, labour economics, and macro-financial analysis.

 

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