Populism, Radical Politics and the EU

European democracies continue to grapple with the transformative impact of populist and radical political parties and movements. Over the past two decades, these actors have fundamentally altered the political landscape, successfully penetrating mainstream discourse and reshaping electoral competition across the continent. The boundaries between populist, radical, and extremist politics have become increasingly blurred, challenging traditional categorizations and prompting scholars to reconsider established frameworks for understanding contemporary right-wing mobilization. Grassroots movements now operate with greater autonomy from formal party structures, while core themes of nativism, authoritarianism, and anti-establishment sentiment have permeated well beyond their original radical constituencies into centrist political discourse. The current political moment presents new complexities in how these parties and movements operate and influence democratic governance. Far-right and populist actors have intensified their challenges to established democratic norms and institutional legitimacy, while simultaneously adapting to new technological environments. This evolving landscape demands fresh analytical approaches to understand how populist and extremist phenomena intersect, how they leverage both online and offline spaces for mobilization, and what their growing influence means for the future of European democracy and integration. This section aims at analyzing the relation between radical actors, populism, democracy and representation in Europe. It invites panels and papers dealing with any of the following aspects: 1. Radical actors, democratic representation and democratic norms: How do far-right and populist actors challenge, erode, or reshape democratic norms and institutions? What is the impact of populist and radical actors in government? Do they change democracy from within? What kind of strategies do these actors have in parliament and how do they affect democratic procedures? What determines the action repertoire of radical actors? How do we understand the relationship between electoral engagement and street protest in contemporary radical politics? 2. The interactions between radical and mainstream actors: How, when and why do radical ideas drift into the political mainstream? How do mainstream parties across the political spectrum react to populist and radical actors? What are the social and political consequences of the normalization of populist and radical politics? How might we theorize the contagion of radical ideas and explain the progressive integration of populist and radical actors in political systems? What role does the far-right play in reshaping political discourse and policy agendas in the EU? 3. Political communication and offline-online mobilization dynamics: How do radical and populist actors integrate online and offline mobilization strategies? What are the main issues at the core of their communication across different media channels? How do digital platforms facilitate the organization of offline activities and vice versa? What are the differences between populist and non-populist actors' strategies in coordinating online-offline campaigns? How do these actors use digital technologies to build communities and translate virtual engagement into real-world political action? 4. The relation between populism, far-right actors and science/expertise: Populists and far-right actors increasingly contest established forms of expertise and epistemic authority, positioning themselves against "elite" knowledge institutions. This contestation extends beyond individual experts to encompass universities, research institutions, and the broader academic establishment as sites of alleged ideological bias and disconnection from "ordinary people." How do these actors frame and challenge scientific consensus, academic research, and university-based knowledge production? What strategies do they employ to delegitimize higher education institutions and academic expertise? How do these actors selectively appropriate, distort, or reject scientific findings to support their political narratives? What alternative sources of authority and knowledge do they promote? What are the broader implications for evidence-based policymaking, academic freedom, and the role of universities in democratic deliberation? 5. Populism, radical actors and European integration While there is an extensive literature on Euroscepticism, there are still relatively understudied areas of research. To what extent has the electoral success of radical parties and the increased fragmentation of the EP led to more direct or indirect influence of these actors in Parliament? Can we observe a contagion effect in the European Parliament on specific issues? Is there an evolution of these parties' stances on European integration and strategies at the supranational level? How do far-right actors across Europe coordinate their anti-EU strategies? Can we talk of a professionalization and/or normalization of populist and radical actors at the European level? How do they use the transnational level to promote their ideas and practices across borders? This section invites panels and papers proposals on these 5 broad topics. We welcome both case studies and comparative research designs, empirical and theoretical analyses, as well as experimental research. We particularly encourage innovative methodological approaches and cross-national comparative studies that advance our understanding of contemporary radical politics in the EU. Preference will be given to panels that mirror the diversity of the ECPR research community in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and rank.