Simple Truths About the Politics of Unemployment

Unemployment is not only an economic issue; it is also a political one. No government can afford to ignore it. A flourishing economy and ample jobs give governments legitimacy. They lose legitimacy if the economy stagnates and good jobs become scarce. Evidently, voters refuse to consider unemployment a necessary part of the social order or something governments can do nothing about. Politicians who do not bow—or seem to bow—to this public pressure risk losing their mandates.