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5 - Mainstreaming

The Impact of Local Power on Populist Radical Right Parties

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 August 2023

Fred Paxton
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi di Milano
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Summary

Integration into the democratic system may induce the moderation of radical parties. This chapter assesses the extent of mainstreaming of populist radical right parties that follows their entry into local power. It does so through analysis of their discourse before and after attaining the leadership of the local government and considers four dimensions of mainstreaming. First, programmatic expansion and the relative salience of issues outside of their ideological core. Second, de-radicalization, in terms of the positioning towards and framing of the issue of immigration. Third, a softening of anti-establishment discourse and behaviour, considering both conflicts with other political actors and institutional reforms. And fourth, the self-presentation as normal and responsible, as opposed to a prior reputation for extremism and/or incompetence. To analyse changes across these dimensions, it draws from a range of data sources: council meetings, Facebook posts and newspaper articles. The chapter reveals cross-national differences in the extent of mainstreaming and suggests that institutional and party-strategic differences are crucial determinants of the extent and form of such change.

Type
Chapter
Information
Restrained Radicals
Populist Radical Right Parties in Local Government
, pp. 136 - 170
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • Mainstreaming
  • Fred Paxton, Università degli Studi di Milano
  • Book: Restrained Radicals
  • Online publication: 10 August 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009379069.005
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  • Mainstreaming
  • Fred Paxton, Università degli Studi di Milano
  • Book: Restrained Radicals
  • Online publication: 10 August 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009379069.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Mainstreaming
  • Fred Paxton, Università degli Studi di Milano
  • Book: Restrained Radicals
  • Online publication: 10 August 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009379069.005
Available formats
×