Sticking to the script: nationalist contestation and the cost-of-living crisis in plurinational states

Abstract

In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the growth of the transnational cost-of-living crisis provided an impetus for state and substate nationalist cooperation but has also created a window of opportunity for nationalist competition in plurinational states. Capturing the period from 2021 to 2024, this article addresses two key questions: How do state and substate nationalist parties frame the crisis? And how have they instrumentalized it to further their territorial claims? Focusing on Belgium (Flanders), Spain (Catalonia), and the United Kingdom (Scotland), we analyse party manifestos, parliamentary debates, press releases, and public statements. We find that state nationalists predominantly exogenized the crisis, attributing it to global shocks, while substate nationalists endogenized it, blaming domestic policy failures. Both engaged in blame attribution and credit-claiming to bolster their territorial positions. Rather than reshaping territorial debates, the crisis reinforced existing nationalist narratives, highlighting the resilience of constitutional contestation in plurinational states.