What's Left of the Radical Right? The Social-Economic Programmes of Radical Right-Wing Populist Parties

Abstract

This panel seeks to examine the socio-economic programmes of radical right-wing populist parties. Although it has been assumed in the past that radical right-wing populist parties do not attach great importance to socio-economic issues (Mudde 2007), a number of developments have provided these parties with incentives to engage in socio-economic debates. First of all, the financial crisis has enabled radical right-wing populist parties to link their socio-economic agenda to their euroskepticism, nationalism, and populism. By opposing the austerity measures mandated by the European Union, radical right-wing populists can claim to defend national economies and welfare states against the 'dictates from Brussels'. Secondly, the government participation of radical right-wing populist parties has forced these parties to develop and expand their programmes, covering all domains and issues that are relevant in policy debates. Next to the importance of the socio-economic agenda of the radical right-wing populist parties, students of political science have found it difficult to identify and interpret the positions these parties take in debates about economic, financial and social issues. They have labeled their stances as either right-wing (Kitschelt and McGann 1995; Kriesi et al. 2007), centrist or mixed (De Lange 2007) or left-wing (Van der Brug and Van Spanje 2009). Other scholars have argued that their positions should not be interpreted in classic left-right terms, but should be described as egalitarian populism (Derks 2006) or welfare chauvinist (Bastow 1997). These positions may not be static, but parties may change their position on basis of economic circumstances, the salience of the issue and changes in their electorate.