Introduction
The political stability of any country depends on numerous factors and is vital for its further evolution. First of all, the economic factors are critical determinants of how the nation evolves and the health of the whole system. At the same time, the level of citizens’ trust in their government is also an important aspect of political stability and the country’s ability to continue its evolution. People’s loyalty means the government can introduce new projects and incentives and expect they will be supported by the majority. In such a way, it is vital to preserve the balance and ensure all factors are in equilibrium. It also means that an issue influencing economic and political aspects of the state’s functioning becomes critically important for any country. Unemployment belongs to this cohort as it impacts citizens’ buying power and the country’s economy and introduces multiple questions to the work of the government.
Background
Numerous factors evidence the critical importance of the accessibility of jobs. First of all, there is a direct correlation between the power of the economy and unemployment rates (Cleaver 88). Statistics show that countries with robust industries and stable growth can provide their citizens with an opportunity to earn (Cleaver 67). For instance, for most developed countries nowadays, the unemployment rate of 5% is viewed as an appropriate characteristic, while there are policies aimed at further reduction of its level (Cleaver 23). At the same time, the increase in the number of workless people can be linked to severe economic problems (Cleaver 87). Furthermore, reducing the number of taxpayers is also a threatening sign for a country. In this regard, the government’s primary task is to control this aspect to ensure further state rise.
Unemployment Definition and Types
The scope of the problem and its significance explain numerous definitions and attempts to structure it. Thus, unemployment can be viewed as the situation when an individual cannot find work, although he/she looks for it (Janoski et al. 33). From the definition, a person correctly realizes the necessity to find a job; however, the current conditions prevent him/her from doing it (Janoski et al. 44). Traditionally, researchers outline the four types of unemployment such as frictional, structural, cyclical, and seasonal (Janoski et al. 45). The fictional and seasonal types refer to the temporary inability to find a job because of the moving to a new location or availability of jobs during specific periods (Janoski et al. 47). However, structural and cyclical forms are more important as they imply some severe problems in the economy. The first one means the absence of available jobs for individuals with specific skills and knowledge, which might be viewed as the government’s fault. The second one implies the decline in demand for a certain good and the reduction of work (Janoski et al. 48). Both these types of unemployment indicate critical issues in the economy.
State’s Role
For the government, the problems in the work of the state’s industry and fall in demand are fundamental concerns as their regulation is its principal function. However, the high unemployment rates have a pernicious impact on the economy. First of all, it undermines people’s buying power, meaning that they start to spend less, destroying the fundament of business (Lindauer 112). Furthermore, it leads to higher payments from federal and state governments for various items as the need to support producers increases (Lindauer 111). Finally, the problem of debt and taxation becomes more topical as the budget starts to experience a lack of income (Lindauer 121). In such a way, unemployment is a systemic problem affecting all spheres of the state’s work and showing the government’s inability to control the situation in a state.
Impact on Economy
From another hand, the weak and declining economy is the first prerequisite for the growth of instability in the country. The research shows the direct correlation between the people’s satisfaction with the ruling party and its political course and their income and ability to find jobs (Cleaver 99). The change in the buying capacity, the deterioration of the quality of life, and the high level of stress linked to the inability to find a job impact people’s attitudes toward politicians, the President, and the existing system. For instance, in the USA, the periods of greater instability within a state were associated with the highest unemployment rates and drastic societal changes (Cleaver 111). In such a way, unemployment affects the economy and people’s readiness to accept the current course, directly influencing the government and ruling parties.
Keynesian Perspective
Moreover, from the Keynesian perspective, unemployment is also viewed as a significant problem linked to the government’s inefficiency. Keynes was sure that the inability to find a job results from the inadequacy of spending within the economy (Wolf and Resnick 67). Furthermore, the long-run level of unemployment is linked to government policy (Wolf and Resnick 67). By introducing specific regulating measures, such as steady inflation rates, the ruling party can address the problem (Wolf and Resnick 67). At the same time, the Keynesian theory assumes that economies do not stabilize quickly and always require active measures to recover (Wolf and Resnick 67). For this reason, uncontrolled structured unemployment is always the government’s fault. For this reason, the political regime changes linked to the problem are the result of the low effectiveness of accepted measures and their irrelevance regarding the existing situation.
Purchasing Power and Unemployment
The decrease in the citizens’ purchasing power can also be associated with high unemployment. The lack of access to a source of stable income impacts individuals’ behaviors and their readiness to spend money (Cleaver 121). It becomes a significant factor causing strong psychological pressure and growth of dissatisfaction with the government. The research shows that the inability to support the desired quality of life and critical reduction in purchasing power influence individuals’ political preferences and might precondition reconsideration of their decisions to support a particular party during the next elections (Cleaver 113). As a result, rampant unemployment challenges the political regime, which is especially important for the USA, as most citizens are used to the high quality of life. The change in their status and purchasing power serves as a sign of the necessity of change and new political parties.
Level of Trust to the Government
For this reason, by analyzing unemployment and its impact on the level of trust in the current political regime, it is possible to speak about the overall satisfaction levels. One of the major social theories states that meeting people’s basic needs is the best way to gather political support and ensure the stable development of the nation within the established political course (Cleaver 111). In such a way, any government, especially in the developed states such as the USA, is responsible for guaranteeing that the majority enjoys the availability of various benefits and is ready to support the government in the next elections (Striker 121). However, unemployment, as proof of the government’s ineffectiveness, decreases people’s satisfaction levels and might precondition the change in their preferences in the political life of the state. As a result, the search for new perspectives and political actors might be initiated.
In such a way, it is possible to speak about the critical changes in trust patterns associated with the high unemployment rates. The statistics show that governments with the highest levels of citizens’ support are usually strong in managing employment issues (Kelly and Witko 400). It means they create new opportunities for individuals and manage economies to offer numerous benefits to individuals (Kelly and Witko 399). For instance, the USA’s most iconic presidents, such as Roosevelt and Lincoln, were effective in providing their voters with jobs and satisfying their current needs (Striker 81). It resulted in a high level of trust and readiness to support them in the next elections, vital for the parties they represented. On the contrary, the failure to do it promotes the collapse of the current political regime and the growing desire to change it.
Political Change
For this reason, the high unemployment rates can be viewed as a solid indicator for finding changing political parties and the necessity of a new political course. In the US political environment, party switching is the change in party affiliation of a public figure usually holding elected office (Kelly and Witko 403). At the same time, it might serve as the determinant of the instability within a state and disagreement with the existing policies or regulations. Speaking about unemployment rates, it is possible to admit that the economic decline and the growing people’s dissatisfaction often served as the forces influencing party switching and reconsideration of the role a party plays at the moment (Kelly and Witko 400). For this reason, the discussed issue should be considered a potent tool to influence the political framework and the balance of power within the state.
At the same time, the practical policies to address employment rates explain the popularity of political parties in the USA and their ability to win elections. For instance, the Democratic party’s ability to provide people with jobs during the Great Depression resulted in the growth of its leaders’ popularity and its becoming the dominant force in the state (Kelly and Witko 400). The given fact proves the critical significance of employment issues and their ability to shape the political framework within the state. The requirements for a stable income, high quality of life, and constant development are typical for US citizens (Kelly and Witko 401). For this reason, by addressing the problem, political figures can improve the economy of the state and ensure they have significant support to hold leading positions during the next elections.
Great Depression, Unemployment, and Political Regimes
Thus, the correlation between employment rates, economics, and the state’s political life can be evidenced by the examples from US history. The Great Depression was one of the most significant challenges in the newest history of the state. In accordance with the official report, in 1933, the unemployment rate comprised 24.9% of the total workforce, or about 13 million people could not find a job (Rothbard 77). As a result, the level of trust in the government and the dominant political party became critically low, and citizens waned the radical change in the regimen (Rothbard 89). The economy was also unable to support the further development of the USA because of the ineffective measures and policies (Rothbard 89). The period was also characterized by the greatest disappointment in the national idea and the concept of the American Dream (Rothbard 111). It became a severe challenge to the political elites within the state.
The effective resolution of the problems mentioned above explains the popularity of Roosevelt’s administration and the political regimen. The New Deal, accepted as the policy to address most problems, contributed to the revitalization of the economy. Thus, 20 million work relief jobs were offered in the period from 1933 to 1942 (Rothbard 121). The Civilian Conservation Corps, Civil Works Administration, and Works Progress Administration were effective in helping jobless people (Rothbard 131). These incentives helped to reduce unemployment rates up to 5%, which became a serious success and revitalized the economy (Rothbard 134). As a result, people started to trust the political regimen and supported it. Moreover, it created the basis for the fast economic rise and the improvement in the quality of people’s lives. For this reason, effective resolution of the problem of jobless people served as the basis for the popularity of the dominant political party and its incentives.
Current and Future States
The current state of unemployment in the USA can also be analyzed to understand people’s attitudes toward ruling parties. During the Covid 19 pandemic and the financial crisis associated with it, the number of jobless people grew up to 4.9% and can be compared to the 1930s (Striker 141). It resulted in the growing dissatisfaction with the quality of life and the current regime. This factor was also among the causes of Trump’s loss during the Presidential elections. As stated previously, the inability to align the correct work of the significant state’s institutions created the basis for the change in people’s preferences and their desire to replace the current administration with the new one.
Today, there is a tendency toward a reduction in the number of unemployed people in the USA. Reports show that it reduced up to 3.4%, which can be a good sign indicating the revitalization of the economy and its ability to recover after the crisis caused by the pandemic (“Monthly Unemployment Rate in the United States”). For this reason, regardless of other problems such as the growing prices, the level of support for the current political regimen remains stable. At the same time, the increase in the number of jobless people might be a severe issue for the President and his administration, meaning that there is still a critical need to control and address this factor.
Conclusion
Altogether, unemployment should be considered as one of the critical factors influencing the economy of states and political stability. The growth in the number of jobless people will result in the decline of various spheres and the growth of distrust in the political regimen. For the USA, the issue is also topical because of the people’s high demands for the quality of life and the availability of various benefits. Examples from the past show that administrations successful in managing the problem were supported by the majority, while less effective leaders were replaced because of the inability to meet the basic people’s needs. That is why employment is a fundamental indicator of the nation’s health and its readiness to follow the current course.
Works Cited
Cleaver, Tony. Economics: The Basics. 3rd ed., Routledge, 2014.
Janoski, Thomas, et al. The Causes of Structural Unemployment: Four Factors that Keep People from the Jobs they Deserve. Polity, 2014.
Kelly, Nathan J., and Christopher Witko. “Government Ideology and Unemployment in the U.S. States.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly, vol. 14, no. 4, 2014, pp. 389–413.
Lindauer, John. Inflation, Unemployment, and Government Deficits: End Them: An Economist’s Readable Explanation of America’s Economic Malaise and How to Quickly End it. Claremont-Howard, 2014.
Rothbard, Murray. America’s Great Depression. Martino Fine Books, 2019.
“Monthly Unemployment Rate in the United States from March 2021 to March 2022.” Statista.
Striker, Frank. American Unemployment: Past, Present, and Future. University of Illinois Press, 2020.
Wolf, Richard, and Stephen Resnick. Contending Economic Theories: Neoclassical, Keynesian, and Marxian. The MIT Press, 2012.