Strategic Illiberalism: Understanding the Radicalization of the Mainstream Right

The radicalization of the mainstream right has become a defining feature of contemporary European politics. As the most proximate ideological neighbor to, and frequent coalition partner of, the far right, mainstream right parties have been widely analyzed for their responses to the rising salience of far-right issues, particularly migration and identity. This paper adopts a narrow definition of radicalization as a shift from liberal democratic to illiberal democratic norms on sociocultural issues, and proposes an integrative framework that considers both ideological commitments and structural conditions. Drawing on existing research, the paper situates mainstream right radicalization in the broader context of increasing sociocultural issue salience and the electoral rise of the far right. Scholarship has noted that these developments have altered coalition dynamics and expanded the potential influence of right-of-center parties. While electoral competition accounts for part of the mainstream right’s illiberal turn, this study argues that agency and supply-side factors, particularly ideological priorities, are also significant. In a two-dimensional policy space, the mainstream right has typically prioritized socioeconomic agendas, while the far right has emphasized sociocultural ones. When market-liberal commitments limit redistributive or regulatory responses to socioeconomic challenges, mainstream right parties may adopt socially illiberal positions to preserve neoliberal arrangements. By incorporating ideological factors into established explanations, the paper offers a layered account of mainstream right radicalization. This approach complements existing perspectives by considering how structural incentives interact with party agency, strategic considerations, and long-term ideological orientations.