A Story of Failure as Well as Success? Explaining Variation in the Electoral Trajectories of Far Right Parties in Western Europe

Why are PRRPs more successful in some European countries than in others? There is little doubt that the populist radical right has turned into an important political force in Europe. Yet, there is great variation in the electoral performances of such parties across the continent; while populist radical right parties (PRRPs) have formed part of (or provided parliamentary support for) national governments in Austria and the Netherlands, they have been absent or unsuccessful in Ireland and Luxembourg. Despite the burgeoning literature on this topic, the reasons behind the asymmetrical electoral performances of PRRPs in Europe remain poorly understood. In fact, existing scholarly attempts to explain demand for and supply of PRRPs have generated contradictory findings. This can partly be explained by the use of different methodologies, datasets and/or definitions of electoral success. Above all, however, they must be attributed to the fact that conventional demand- and supply-side explanations fail to sufficiently take into account contextual factors. This exploratory paper aims at combining insights derived from existing studies to theorise about the variation in the electoral trajectories of PRRPs. To do so, the paper first generates a working definition of electoral success and failure. It then systematically examines which opportunity structures are conducive to the breakthrough of PRRPs.