The Radical Right as Niche Parties? The Ideological Landscape of Party Systems in Western Europe, 1980–2014

2016/06/22 by Markus Wagner, Thomas M. Meyer, Thomas M Meyer · 156 citations
Social Sciences · #Authoritarianism #Competition (biology) #Democracy #Economics #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #European union #Gender Politics and Representation #Ideology #International trade #Law #Mainstream #Manifesto #Political economy #Political science #Politics #Populism, Right-Wing Movements #Radical right #Salience (neuroscience) #Sociology

paper · pdf · doi:10.1177/0032321716639065

published in Political Studies 65(1_suppl), 84-107 (SAGE Publishing)

openalex publication_date 2016/06/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

The emergence of the radical right as a strong competitor to mainstream parties has fundamentally reshaped patterns of competition in many European party systems. In this article, we systematically explore changes to the ideological landscape in Western Europe by examining whether there has been programmatic mainstreaming of radical right parties due to (a) accommodation to and (b) moderation by radical right parties. We examine positions and salience on liberal-authoritarianism and the salience of economic issues using manifesto data from 68 parties in 17 countries. Our findings provide empirical support for a rightward shift in European party systems: on liberal-authoritarianism, mainstream left and right parties have increased their emphasis and moved to the right. Yet radical right parties have generally remained niche competitors; they are increasingly extreme and more focused on liberal-authoritarianism. Our analysis has important implications for understanding party systems, party competition and citizen representation in Europe.

Citations

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• If you can't Beat them, Join them? Explaining Social Democratic Responses to the Challenge from the Populist Radical Right in Western Europe
• Immigration as a political issue in Denmark and Sweden
• Niche Party Success and Mainstream Party Policy Shifts – How Green and Radical Right Parties Differ in Their Impact

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