Populist Radical Right Party-Voter Policy Representation in Western Europe

Abstract

In this study we assess policy representation by populist radical right (PRR) parties in ten West European countries. Going beyond aggregate left-right or socio-cultural (GAL-TAN) dimensions of political conflict, we study representation on policy issues related to the PRR parties' core ideological features nativism, populism, and authoritarianism. Analysing data from party expert and voter surveys, we find that the PRR parties provide largely unique policy positions that are congruent with their voters' preferences in terms of their opposition to immigration and the European Union. By contrast, the parties are less representative in terms of their value conservative and authoritarian positions on gay rights and civil liberties. The findings have relevance for our understanding of party strategy, voter behaviour, and the dimensionality of political competition.

The micro–macro interactive approach to political trust: Quality of representation and substantive representation across Europe

“…(2011: 375) found ‘no evidence that voters systematically update their perceptions of parties’ Left‐Right positions in response to the actual ideological statements that parties present in their manifestos’, but they did identify that perceived positions, instead of rhetoric in manifestos, shift voters’ positions (cf. Backlund & Jungar 2019; Stecker & Tausendfund 2016). As a result, the goal of our research is a better fit with data available from the CHES.…”

Grassroots community actors leading the way in the prevention of youth violent radicalization

“…The concern in Western countries about radicalization and violent extremism comes from not only Islamist-inspired extremism but also from the rising presence, capacity and alarming actions of extremist far-right and far-left parties that have emerged all over the world [ 16 ]. Already known forms of political extremism that seemed to be less present for a period of time have re-emerged with more power, achieving political representation at the regional, national and even European levels [ 17 – 19 ]. The emergence of either far-right or far-left parties with neo-fascist discourses indicates the rise of racism, nationalism, authoritarianism and traditional conservative positions in some sectors of European societies and beyond, which can jeopardize the European democratic political project [ 18 , 20 , 21 ].…”

The Sweden Democrats: Killer of Swedish Exceptionalism

“…Nativism, which overlaps with the boundaries of the modern state and those of the native ethnic majority population (Norocel, 2017), is defined as "an ideology, which holds that states should be inhabited exclusively by members of the native group ('the nation') and that non-native elements are fundamentally threatening to the ethnic purity and the homogenous nation-state" (Mudde, 2007;Norocel, 2017). This feature is related to the protection of national values and traditions, welfare chauvinism, and opposition to immigration, Islam, and the European Union (EU) (Backlund & Jungar, 2019). Authoritarianism pertains to a punitive interpretation of conventional ethics coupled with a strict enforcement of law and order (Norris, 2005) in which infringements of authority are to be punished severely (Mudde, 2007).…”