Kerry NiceIn which whether mainstream parties accommodating radical right parties (RRP) core positions will reduce electoral success of RRP are examined. As RRPs are increasingly successful, what are the causes and consequences? Does accommodation co-opt their success? Or legitimise their policies? Do voters vote for the original or the copy? Hypothesis is that mainstream adoption of authoritarian-nationalism/anti-immigration policies is not effective in reducing RRP success. Data from the European Voter Project.
Finding: RRP gained 0.5-2% since 1980s. Gained 0.2-0.8% from each mainstream party since 1980s. No significant effects at 95% macro-level changes. RRP gains pronounced when mainstream competes with consolidated RRPs. Accommodation increasingly ineffective over time. So, accommodating benefits established RRPs. Accommodation combined with lack of cooperation with RRPs also benefits RRPs. Finally, co-opting RRP positions (even if already policy of the mainstream) results in voter defection to the right.
162 #365papers
https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2049847022000085/type/journal_article
Does accommodation work? Mainstream party strategies and the success of radical right parties
