The Populist Radical Right and Health: National Policies and Global Trends

Abstract

The relationship between the populist radical right (PRR) in government and health is an understudied phenomenon, one that has proven to be particularly important during a pandemic. In this panel we present five chapters from the book, The Populist Radical Right and Health: National Policies and Global Trends whose aim is to showcase what populist radical right parties do in government in terms of the types of health policies that they pass. The book looks at the concept of populism, establishes that focusing on the PRR is most fruitful and then goes on to locate a significant gap in the literature: The relationship between PRR politicians in office and health policies. Two literature reviews were conducted, one related the PRR to health and the other relating the PRR to the COVID-19 pandemic, both resulting in very thin results confirming the importance of this research. Based on the literature, the book introduces six hypotheses on the type of health politics PRR politicians in office might pursue: Welfare chauvinism, liberal chauvinism, welfare populism conservatism, clientelism or they take an anti-scientific approach. While the book looks at 10 different country cases investigating the health policies PRR parties or politicians promoted and/or implemented while in government, this panel will present a selection of five country cases. The United Kingdom, the United States, the Philippines, Germany and Hungary will each cover three important points: First, an overview of the prevailing PRR party or politician will be given. Why the party or politician is considered PRR will also be addressed. Second, the health policies passed while the PRR politician was in office will be highlighted and discussed in detail. These policies will then be classified according to the above-mentioned hypotheses. Finally, each country case will examine the corona pandemic and the reactions, or lack thereof, of the PRR politicians.

Title	Details
The Case of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP)	View Paper Details
Rhetoric and Reality in the United States of America: Trump, Populism, and Health Policy	View Paper Details
Populist Radical Right Influence on Health Policy in the Netherlands: The Case of PVV	View Paper Details