Trivializing inequality by narrating facts: a discourse analysis of contending storylines in Germany

Abstract

ABSTRACT The global financial crisis (2008–2009) sparked major controversies in Germany. Beyond raising regulatory issues, renewed focus was placed on economic inequality in media and politics. Political science has hitherto primarily dealt with inequality by examining the compatibility of democracy and capitalism. However, analyses that reconstruct this discourse, and explain why controversies have failed to shift social policy, are rare. In an attempt to fill this gap, the German inequality discussion is analyzed through the Hajerian concepts of storylines and discourse coalitions. The results show the discussion is dominated by an ordoliberal storyline that trivializes rising inequality. Additionally, two critical storylines are identified. While the first critical position claims inequality is problematic, it is narrated as a challenge that can be remedied through established reforms and personnel changes. Lastly, the third storyline interprets economic inequality as a fundamental threat to an already deteriorating democratic order. Based on a discourse analysis of interviews as well as text corpora of newspaper articles (Welt, ZEIT, taz) and Bundestag speeches, the three storylines are reconstructed and analyzed. Ultimately, the focus on abstract measurements and figures disregards individuals’ subjective experiences with inequality, thereby detaching the discourse from the everyday challenges the critical storylines seek to address.