New Patterns of Political Competition in Western Europe: Populists vs. Populists

Josh Allen on 9th February 2021

Snippet of the cover of Daniele Albertazzi and Davide Vampa's edited book "Populism and New Patterns of Political Competition in Western Europe" - this image shows the title section of the cover

Join us on Wednesday 24th of February at 16:30 for a seminar exploring the increasingly significant and prominent phenomenon of intra-populist party competition in Western European Polities.

Drawing upon research presented in the recently published co-edited: “Populism and New Patterns of Political Competition in Western Europe”, co-edited: by Dr. Daniele Albertazzi (University of Birmingham) and Dr. Davide Vampa (Aston University) or undertaken through the Populism in Action Project (led by Dr. Daniele Albertazzi at the University of Birmingham and Dr. Stijn van Kessel at Queen Mary, University of London), the discussion will include the following participants:

  • Donatella Bonansinga (University of Birmingham)
  • Dr. Emmanouil Tsatsanis (EKKE)
  • Dr. Judith Sijstermans (University of Birmingham)
  • Dr. Davide Vampa (Aston University)

It will be chaired by Dr. Daniele Albertazzi (University of Birmingham).

The seminar will explore how and to what effect populist parties of both the left and the right, compete within the same political system. It will utilise and present the overall typology of populist parties and populist party competition used in “Populism and New Patterns of Political Competition in Western Europe” and present the Greek, Flemish and British cases.

Register for this event here

*Please note that the presentations from this session will be recorded*

This seminar is hosted by the Department of POLSIS at the University of Birmingham and facilitated by the ESRC funded Populism in Action project led by Daniele Albertazzi and Stijn van Kessel.

Daniele Albertazzi’s Co-Edited Book on Populism in Western Europe Launched at REPRESENT Seminar

Josh Allen on 2nd February 2021

Snippet of the cover of Daniele Albertazzi and Davide Vampa's edited book "Populism and New Patterns of Political Competition in Western Europe" - this image shows the title section of the cover

On Wednesday 27th January Populism in Action’s Principal Investigator, Daniele Albertazzi, launched his new book: Populism and New Patterns of Political Competition in Western Europe, at a REPRESENT Seminar.

REPRESENT is a research collaboration between political scientists at the Universities of Nottingham and Birmingham, with a particular interest in party organisation, formation and competition and their place in contemporary democracy. The event – which was held online – attracted over fifty participants, with attendees joining the call from across Europe, North America as well as other parts of the world.

The book, co-edited by Daniele with Davide Vampa of Aston University, and published as part of Routledge’s Extremism & Democracy series, analyses how party competition has adjusted to the success of populism in Western Europe, whether this is non-populists dealing with their populist competitors, or populists interacting with each other. The volume focuses on Western Europe in the period 2007–2018 and considers both right-wing and left-wing populist parties. It critically assesses the concept and rise of populism, and includes case studies on Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom, Greece, and Italy.

You can find a link to the book on the Routledge website here

REPRESENT Seminar on Populism with Daniele Albertazzi and Davide Vampa (27/01/21)

Josh Allen on 19th January 2021

Snippet of the cover of Daniele Albertazzi and Davide Vampa's edited book "Populism and New Patterns of Political Competition in Western Europe" - this image shows the title section of the cover

We are pleased to invite you to join us for the next REPRESENT Seminar and the first one of 2021, taking place via Zoom on Wednesday 27th of January at 4:30pm.

On this occasion, we are delighted to have Daniele Albertazzi (University of Birmingham) and Davide Vampa (Aston University, Birmingham), who will present the book they co-edited: “Populism and New Patterns of Political Competition in Western Europe”, with Simon Toubeau (University of Nottingham) as chair of the meeting.

Abstract:

This book analyses how party competition has adjusted to the success of populism in Western Europe, whether this is non-populists dealing with their populist competitors, or populists interacting with each other.

The volume focuses on Western Europe in the period 2007– 2018 and considers both right- wing and left- wing populist parties. It critically assesses the concept and rise of populism, and includes case studies on Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom, Greece, and Italy. The authors apply an original typology of party strategic responses to political competitors, which allows them to map interactions between populist and non-populist parties in different countries. They also assess the links between ideology and policy, the goals of different populist parties, and how achieving power affects these parties. The volume provides important lessons for the study of political competition, particularly in the aftermath of a crisis and, as such, its framework can inform future research in the post-Covid- 19 era.

Book your place on the call here

This seminar is delivered by REPRESENT a joint initiative between political scientists at the Universities of Birmingham and Nottingham. It is also supported by the ESRC funded Populism in Action project led by Daniele Albertazzi and Stijn van Kessel.

Populism in Europe and the USA – Webinar Recording

Josh Allen on 28th October 2020

Screengrab of panelists for the 22nd October event. Six middle aged white people arranged in a grid on a video call. Five of the six are men one is a woman

This Webinar took place on October 22, 2020. The main focus of the discussion was how do we understand populist leadership in the US? Is Trump a “populist”? What are the similarities and differences between Trump’s rhetoric and ideology and populists in Europe today (including the UK and Ireland)?

Watch the full webinar here.

Speakers included:

Mick Fealty, Editor of Slugger O’Toole
Dr. Daniele Albertazzi, University of Birmingham
Professor Scott Lucas, University of Birmingham
Professor Daphne Halikiopoulou, University of Reading
Professor Tim Bale, Queen Mary, University of London

The discussion was chaired by Professor Liam Kennedy, Director of UCD Clinton Institute.

PiAP-Clinton Institute Webinar: Comparing Populisms

Josh Allen on 21st October 2020

Close up of two darkly coloured microphones on a wooden podium. They are looking out into a darkened auditorium, where a projector is just about visible. the primary light source in the space is shining on the podium so that is illuminated whereas the rest of the auditorium is dark

This post appeared originally on EA Worldview

What can we learn from examining populism across as well as within countries?

The Populism in Action Project’s Dr. Daniele Albertazzi (University of Birmingham) and Dr. Stijn van Kessel (Queen Mary, University of London), joined by Dr. Julien Mercille (University College Dublin), took on the question in a webinar hosted by UCD’s Clinton Institute on October 15.

A video of this event was recorded and can be accessed here.

Dr. van Kessel laid the foundation for the session by setting out PiAP’s methodology and research questions. He began with the assumption, possibly borne out by the experience and practice of “mainstream” parties over the last 50 years, of a move away from the cultivation of extensive and intensive engagement with a mass membership. PiAP’s critique of this model is the demonstration of a mixture of older and newer forms of engagement cultivated and sustained by populist radical right parties in Europe.

Dr. Albertazzi then set out some of PiAP’s key findings so far in Belgium (Flanders), Finland, Italy, and Switzerland, considering the cases of Vlaams Belang, the Finns Party, the League and the Swiss People’s Party respectively.

In each, the representatives interviewed were enthusiastic about building local parties as a key part of strategy and internal culture. While there are noticeable local differences — for instance, the prominence of social media and instant messaging channels like WhatsApp in Italy and Belgium, and the relatively high degree of local autonomy enjoyed by branches of the Swiss People’s Party — each party under study is very good at building participatory organizations with which members want to be involved.

Albertazzi explained the attractive proposition of joining a space where a member can connect with like-minded people to share and discuss political ideas. Aware of this, populist radical right parties have developed effective means to mobilize members, who connect with them via social media or through other channels, into face-to-face activity through formal campaigning activity or social events.

Dr. Mercille complemented PiAP’s work, with the discussion of contemporary Irish politics. He explained why, despite the similarities between Ireland and other Western European countries, a populist radical right party has yet to emerge in the Republic.

There are conditions such as increasing economic insecurity, highly visible wealth inequality, concerns amongst culturally conservative individuals about social change, and a lack of trust in the political system. But Mercille suggested that reasons for the non-emergence of a radical right populist party range from the lack of a charismatic leader to the historic right-leaning duopoly of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, dominant since Irish independence in 1921. If there is a breakdown of this historic alignment, then Ireland might join other European countries with a populist radical right party like those studied by PiAP.

Tampere University: “How Populist Logic Functions in Contemporary Media”

Josh Allen on 6th January 2020

Niko Hatakka (PiAP Finland focused Research Fellow) lectured on “How Populist Logic Functions in the Contemporary Media Environment” at a symposium organized by the Institute for Advanced Social Research at Tampere University, Finland on December 4-5, 2019.

The symposium brought together cross-disciplinary social scientists in discussion of populism as class, discourse, and affective formation. Workshops considered to what extent these dimensions are effective in distinguishing political varieties, forms, and limits of populism as an analytic category.