The Impact of Radical Parties in East and West European Political Processes

Abstract

A variety of populist and radical parties is expected to fare well at the upcoming national and European elections. Many observers attribute the rise or reawakening of radical politics to the recent European crisis. This narrative once again suggests the continuing interest spurred by radical parties and the numerous attempts to explain the causes behind their success. At the same time, however, little research appeared on another, equally important, aspect of this enquiry – that is, the effects released by these parties in the political process. Are radical parties able to exert influence in the political process? If so, how and in which arenas? Radical parties are generally claimed to matter in unorthodox ways, meaning that their activity tends to focus on politicising (or catalysing attention on) certain issues which mainstream parties ignore or oppose. Therefore, their impact may a) display regardless of specific electoral performances or participation in government coalitions; and b) release effects in different ways and different arenas. More specifically, radical parties can have an impact on political agenda-setting, by influencing changes in public opinion; party competition, by prompting shifts in other parties’ positions on certain policy dimensions; and policy-making, with the translation of their agenda into actual policies. This panel seeks to gather papers focusing on these and other aspects concerning the impact of radical parties. Preference will be given to studies with a pan-European focus and willing to bridge quantitative/qualitative divides, though innovative contributions focusing on East or West European countries will certainly also be considered. Finally, the panel chairs encourage submissions from scholars advancing novel methodological solutions to this field of enquiry.