RISK, INCOME INEQUALITY AND THREATS FOR THE LEGITIMACY OF A SOCIO-ECONOMIC SYSTEM

Author presents arguments, based on the theoretical concepts and other empirical works, for the hypothesis that growing income inequality increases the risk of weakening the legitimacy of a political and economic system: growing income inequalities can lead to real conflicts or cause weakening of democratic institutions by undermining their legitimacy, what can be seen in the decline of a support for the government institutions. Given thesis is illustrated by the results of the analysis of the Polish survey data: people who perceive and negatively evaluate income inequality, present at the same time less favorable opinions on the political and economic system, which authorizes existing inequalities.