Do They Make a Difference?

The Policy Influence of Radical Right Populist Parties in Western Europe

Edited by Benjamin Biard; Laurent Bernhard and Hans-Georg Betz

Over the last three decades, numerous radical right populist parties (RRPP) have emerged, developed, and strengthened their electoral weight in Western Europe. Yet, while several RRPP have managed to formally participate in government coalitions (such as in Italy, Austria, and Switzerland) or to informally support minority governments (such as in Denmark, and in The Netherlands) and while other RRPP have become highly visible opposition forces (such as in France, and Germany), the influence exercised by RRPP remain underexplored. It is essential to focus on their policy influence because of their electoral strength but also because they are often perceived by journalists, citizens, policy-makers as well as by researchers as a threat to democracy. As a reaction, mainstream parties tend to adopt specific strategies - such as measures of militant democracy towards RRPP.

The aim of this book is to contribute to theoretical and empirical research in political science by bringing together a variety of contributions about the influence of RRPP in terms of policies on their core issues. To that end, we ask under which circumstances these parties are able to do so in contemporary Western Europe. This book proposes to focus on the role played by party status. Are RRPP better able to leave their imprints when they are in power or support minority governments than when they hold opposition or outsider status in Western Europe?

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers / ECPR Press

Pages: 310 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9

978-1-78552-329-8 • Hardback • October 2019 • $105.00 • (£81.00)

978-1-5381-5685-8 • Paperback • June 2021 • $40.00 • (£31.00)

978-1-78552-330-4 • eBook • October 2019 • $38.00 • (£29.00)

Subjects: Political Science / Political Process / Political Parties, Political Science / Political Ideologies / Conservatism & Liberalism, Political Science / World / European

Do They Make a Difference?

The Policy Influence of Radical Right Populist Parties in Western Europe

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

Over the last three decades, numerous radical right populist parties (RRPP) have emerged, developed, and strengthened their electoral weight in Western Europe. Yet, while several RRPP have managed to formally participate in government coalitions (such as in Italy, Austria, and Switzerland) or to informally support minority governments (such as in Denmark, and in The Netherlands) and while other RRPP have become highly visible opposition forces (such as in France, and Germany), the influence exercised by RRPP remain underexplored. It is essential to focus on their policy influence because of their electoral strength but also because they are often perceived by journalists, citizens, policy-makers as well as by researchers as a threat to democracy. As a reaction, mainstream parties tend to adopt specific strategies - such as measures of militant democracy towards RRPP.

The aim of this book is to contribute to theoretical and empirical research in political science by bringing together a variety of contributions about the influence of RRPP in terms of policies on their core issues. To that end, we ask under which circumstances these parties are able to do so in contemporary Western Europe. This book proposes to focus on the role played by party status. Are RRPP better able to leave their imprints when they are in power or support minority governments than when they hold opposition or outsider status in Western Europe?

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers / ECPR Press

Pages: 310 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9

978-1-78552-329-8 • Hardback • October 2019 • $105.00 • (£81.00)

978-1-5381-5685-8 • Paperback • June 2021 • $40.00 • (£31.00)

978-1-78552-330-4 • eBook • October 2019 • $38.00 • (£29.00)

Subjects: Political Science / Political Process / Political Parties, Political Science / Political Ideologies / Conservatism & Liberalism, Political Science / World / European

Author

Benjamin Biard is a Research Fellow at the Centre de recherche et d’information socio-politiques (CRiSP) and is scientific collaborator at the Catholic University of Louvain.

Laurent Bernhard is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Swiss Center of Expertise in the Social Sciences (FORS), which is hosted by the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Hans-Georg Betz is an Adjunct Professor in Political Science at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction – Benjamin Biard and Laurent Bernhard

Chapter 2: From The Margins, But Not Marginal: Putting The German Radical Right’s Influence On Immigration Policy In A Comparative European Context – Malisa Zobel and Michael Minkenberg

Chapter 3: The Front National’s Influence On Immigration During President François Hollande’s Term – João Carvalho

Chapter 4: When Governing Is Losing Advantage: Denmark And Finland, Two Opposite Cases Of Radical Right Populist Parties Influence On Policy Making – Nathalie Blanc-Noël

Chapter 5: From Marginalization to Political Insider: The Policy Influence of the Danish People’s Party – Flemming Juul Christiansen, Mikkel Bjerregaard and Jens Peter Frølund Thomsen

Chapter 6: The Northern League (1991–2018): Thriving Without Delivering? Or Harming By Its Very Existence Southern Italy For Decades? – Christophe Bouillaud

Chapter 7: The Populist Performance Of Urban Crisis: The Policy Influence Of Radical Right Populist Parties In Leadership Of Local Government In Austria And Italy – Fred Paxton

Chapter 8: The Political Influence Of The Austrian Freedom Party – Farid Hafez and Reinhard Heinisch

Chapter 9: Populism And Democracy: The Best Foes? A Comparison Of The Policy Influence Of Radical Right Populist Parties In Switzerland, France And Belgium – Benjamin Biard

Chapter 10: Who’s To Blame: Radical Right Populist Party And Mainstream Parties’ Roles In Adoption Of Welfare Chauvinist Policies – Juliana Chueri

Chapter 11: Law and Order Populism? Assessing the Influence of Right-Wing Populist Parties on Law and Order Policies in Europe – Georg Wenzelburger and Pascal König

Chapter 12: The Radical Right In Power: A Comparative Analysis Of Their Migration Policy Influence – Philipp Lutz

Conclusion: Hans-Georg Betz and Laurent Bernhard

Reviews

In a time of increasing success of Western European right-wing populist parties, this book provides a state-of-the-art assessment of their direct and indirect impact on policy-making. It’s a timely contribution that will be an inspiration for further research in Europe and elsewhere.
— Oscar Mazzoleni, Professor of Politics, University of Lausanne, Switzerland