Patriotism and the Economy

Abstract

While patriotism is a frequent element in public debates about economic issues-from corporate ownership to taxation and redistribution-the patriotism/economy nexus is underexplored in academic research. Political economists have traditionally used the term "economic nationalism," conceptualized as an illiberal economic doctrine, which manifests itself in various kinds of protectionist state policies; this left little scope and interest to study the economic dimension of broader patriotic sentiment. Scholars of nationalism and patriotism, on the other hand, tend to approach the economy as an external realm, rather than as a constituent part of nationalism. Based on a critique of these prevailing approaches, the chapter widens the scope to look at recent innovative scholarship on the patriotism/economy nexus in other disciplines. This literature is scattered across subjects, and it has so far been very limited in its visibility. To structure the material, the chapter makes a distinction between patriotic identification on the one hand and patriotic concern for country and compatriots on the other. The analysis of patriotic identification pays particular attention to economic performance and material culture, while the section on patriotic concern focuses on taxation and economic redistribution through the state. The conclusions highlight the need for stronger conceptual grounding in the future.