Economic inequality can cause political instability when unequal access to income, wealth and opportunities creates grievances, weakens government legitimacy and encourages protest or violence. However, it is usually an underlying condition rather than a sufficient cause.
This question belongs to the HL global political challenge of equality. It connects to power, because wealth affects political influence, and legitimacy, because perceived unfairness can reduce consent for government.
The mechanism operates in stages:
- Concentrated resources and opportunities exclude particular regions or groups.
- Disadvantaged groups experience relative deprivation, perceiving an unfair gap between expectations and actual conditions.
- If governments appear unwilling or unable to respond, trust in political institutions declines.
- Political actors mobilize grievances through protests, strikes, populist movements or violence.
- Repression may intensify instability instead of restoring legitimacy.
| Mechanism | Contemporary example |
|---|---|
| Regional exclusion | In Tunisia, unemployment and unequal coastal and interior development contributed to grievances. Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation on 17 December 2010 triggered protests; President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled in January 2011. |
| Small trigger, wider grievance | Chile's October 2019 protests began after a 30-peso Santiago metro fare increase, then expanded into demands about pensions, wages and services. Unrest produced a 2020 constitutional referendum. |
| Inequality increases vulnerability | South Africa had a World Bank Gini coefficient of approximately in 2014. Unemployment and inequality intensified the July 2021 unrest, during which more than 350 people died. |
A common misconception is that high inequality automatically produces revolution. Its effects depend on political exclusion, economic shocks, government responses and groups' capacity to mobilize. For example, redistribution and inclusive institutions can reduce perceived injustice.
Exam technique: For HL Paper 3, present a causal chain rather than merely describing inequality. Use dated evidence, connect equality to legitimacy and power, and evaluate why inequality remains politically manageable in some contexts.