Left without choice? Economic ideas, frames and the party politics of value-added taxation

Abstract

This article investigates how different ideas about value-added taxation (VAT) frame the partisan politics of the welfare state. It employs a content analysis of German and British politicians’ motives in parliamentary debates on whether and why to in- crease VAT rates. A qualitative comparison reveals that there are remarkable differ- ences between the two countries. In Germany, there is a clear and consistent shift in the efficiency frame from macroeconomic condemnation to microeconomic ap- praisal even among left politicians. This is not visible in British debates, where tradi- tional partisan contestation prevails. The difference in efficiency frames is closely related to unemployment becoming a much more salient issue in Germany than in the UK. The quantitative analysis shows that speakers are indeed more likely to mention the efficiency frame when they are concerned about the labour market.