Extreme right-wing parties and democracy : The effects of extreme right-wing parties on the politics of consolidated democracies

Abstract

There is a widespread concern that the rise of the extreme right parties (ERPs) may disrupt democratic policies in consolidated democracies. The major source of this concern is ERPs' advocacy for authoritarian policies and their grievance about democratic institutions. This study investigates the urgency of this concern by focusing on the possible means by which ERPs are able to affect democratic politics. After determining ERPs and their comparative vote shares, this study examines the individual determinants of voting for them with respect to ideological affinity and political dissatisfaction. The evidence casts doubt on influence through actual or potential vote strength. Therefore the study raises the following question: Is the absence of vote support in many countries a consequence of the established parties having preempted or accommodated the ERPs' appeal by embracing their political demands? The empirical results demonstrate that several established parties have indeed moved rightwards in the last thirty years in a total of 19 consolidated democracies. Therefore, the real threat to democracy has come from the established parties rather than ERPs.