Does Crime Pay? Issue Ownership, Political Opportunity, and the Populist Right in Western Europe

Abstract

This article contributes to the vast literature concerning extreme right parties in Western Europe by examining the effects of crime on the electoral success of these parties. Utilizing theories of issue ownership and political opportunity, this article argues that populist right parties appeal to voters who feel a sense of physical and social insecurity because of higher levels of crime. This hypothesis is tested using a data set covering 18 Western European countries between 1970 and 2005. The results indicate that populist right parties benefit from higher levels of crime as well as linking crime with higher levels of immigration. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of this analysis.

Electoral Accountability in the Midst of Criminal Violence: Evidence from Mexico

“…The media tend to saturate viewers with coverage of crime news and sensationalize the issue (Romer et al 2003). Crime and security are also issues that political candidates, particularly those from right-wing parties, tend to emphasize in their campaigns (Marion and Farmer 2003;Smith 2010). In general, such exposure primes voters' concerns about insecurity (Beckett 1997;Altheide 2002) and may even affect their support for "iron fist" policies (Krause 2014).…”

Which Issues do Parties Emphasise? Salience Strategies and Party Organisation in Multiparty Systems

“…This approach is commonly used to measure issue ownership (Budge and Farlie 1983). For example, Green parties can be expected to own the environment issue, Social democrats the welfare issue and radical-right parties law and order issues (Smith 2010). This provides us with a first picture of party issue ownership.…”

“…This provides us with a first picture of party issue ownership. Supplemental sources of information were single-country case studies of issue ownership (Albright 2008;Bélanger and Meguid 2008;Elmelund-Praestekaer 2011;Green 2011;Green and Hobolt 2008;Hayes 2008;Petrocik et al 2003;Smith 2010). We used these to modify our assignment of parties to issues in these countries.…”

Are Populist Leaders “Charismatic”? The Evidence from Europe

“…4 Weyland places charisma at the center of his definition of populism, which he sees as "a political strategy through which a personalistic leader seeks or exercises government power." 5 In a similar vein, lack of charismatic leadership has been proposed to explain why populist parties are unable to gain ground in some countries, 6 while others have shown empirically that political charisma is an important predictor of the relative success of extreme right-wing populism. 7 Although most students of populism stress the relationship between political populism and charismatic leadership, some remain unconvinced, and with good reason.…”