Large segments of the world experienced a major financial shakeup in 2008, followed by a major economic downturn in the United States and Europe, especially in southern Europe and Ireland. Unemployment has remained high, especially among the young, and many millions of people lost not merely their jobs, but also their homes, their investments, and their pension funds, with many more having to settle for low-paying jobs providing little to no benefits. While emerging economies—China included—initially held up much better, they too experienced a significant slowdown in economic growth rates. This economic downturn (and rising inequality) has contributed to the rise of political alienation; the rise of a variety of right-wing expressions including xenophobia, racism, and anti-Semitism; and support for radical right-wing parties and politicians. What do these developments portend for the future?

One possibility is that economic development will return to a high growth pathway. As a result, what might be called the “legitimacy of affluence” will be restored. The overwhelming majority of people will again be content with their condition, their society, and their polity. However, a considerable number of scholars hold that it may prove impossible to return to a high growth economy able to provide sufficient employment opportunities, due to increased automation and a greater extraction of labor from fewer workers. Others cite sustainability issues, believing that we face a world in which high growth rates (and, hence, affluence) cannot serve as the source of human contentment, due to environmental conditions, as well as social tensions resulting from growing inequality and rising demands. From the perspective of the affluent society, if the future unfolds in one of these less favorable ways, one must wonder if we shall bear witness to the continued rise in prominence of right-wing fringe groups (e.g., The Golden Dawn, English Defence League, Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party, the Jobbik party, and an increasingly radical Tea Party). Or, can one identify other sources of contentment for those who, while having achieved an income level that enables them to meet their “basic” needs, will live in a more austere, less growth-centered, environment? What other sources of legitimacy can be developed that are not based on a continually rising standard of living?