Fourteenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

What explains the rise of populist parties in Europe? The existing literature predominantly considers the negative economic effects of neoliberal policies adopted by established political parties on the middle class as the key cause of the recent rise in populism. However, we identify the negative political impact of neoliberal policies as an equally important factor. More specifically, by defining economic policy as a technical issue requiring special expertise, proponents of neoliberal policies effectively exclude “ordinary” people from participating in economic and political debates. In return, populist politicians successfully frame the supporters of these neoliberal policies as “the corrupt elite” who disregards the will of the people. Focusing on Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) whose weaker economies and political institutions have been fertile ground for increasing populism, we employ an original dataset measuring the relative electoral success of populist parties in 11 EU-member countries since 1990 and examine the conditions under which these parties achieve electoral breakthroughs. Various statistical analyses suggest that worsening economic conditions have a limited impact on the rise of populism as anti-establishment parties perform considerably well in elections during times of economic growth. In other words, these parties are not products of economic contraction. Instead, the increase in perceived levels of corruption turns out to be the main determinant of populists’ electoral success. This is supported by case studies of Bulgaria, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia where populist leaders successfully blame increasing corruption on established political parties’ neoliberal policies and define themselves as “fighters for true democracy.”