Populist (Radical Right) Parties in Present Times: Revisiting Support Base and Policy Impact

Abstract

Recent elections throughout Europe attest that mainstream political parties are under pressure from competitors at the ideological fringes, not least parties of the populist radical right (PRR). A lot has been written on this subject matter, yet there are still questions left unanswered, or theories that require revision. Particularly in light of recent political developments in Europe, it is necessary to revisit the question of what are the motives and preferences of populist (radical right) party supporters. Bearing in mind the Eurozone crisis and the economic downturn in Europe, what is the role of socio-economic preferences in PRR party choice? And how did the more recent refugee crisis impact on the electoral opportunities for the PRR? Considering the rise in Euroscepticism among European populations in the past decade, which role has the issue of European integration played in the success and failure of these parties? Besides substantive policy-related concerns, do populist party voters share the populist values of the parties they support, and to what extent are such values electorally relevant? Finally, irrespective of their success in elections, have PRR parties actually been able to make a difference in terms of agenda setting and policy-making concerning the issues listed above? The papers in this panel focus on each of these individual questions. The panel brings together a methodologically heterogeneous set of studies, which focus on countries across the European continent.

Title	Details
Do radical right populist parties matter? The influence of the Swiss SVP on policy-making	View Paper Details
Matching populisms: (why) do populist voters vote for populist parties?	View Paper Details
‘Winning formulas’: the electoral success of Populist Radical Right Parties in Western Europe	View Paper Details
Understanding the Success of Fringe Anti-European Union Parties at European Parliament Elections in New Democracies	View Paper Details