Attending to the wrong issue in the political spectrum: Right-wing populism for left-wing concerns in the EU

Lora Hadzhidimova; Aaron Stacey

doi:10.22151/politikon.40.1

Authors

Lora Hadzhidimova Old Dominion University
Aaron Stacey Old Dominion University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.40.1

Keywords:

European Union, Left-wing, National concerns, Populism, Right-wing

Abstract

This study aims to explore the relationship between populism and the national concerns expressed by citizens in the European Union (EU). In particular, we seek to determine if a certain type of populism in the countries (right or left) responds to the leading national concerns (cleavages). In order to do so, we examine the national concerns and the type of populism in the EU’s Eastern and Western member-states, separately, and then compare them. Results show, first, that right-wing populism in the EU is much more common than left-wing populism, and, second, that the East and the West share to a large extent similar national concerns that are left-wing in nature. We conclude that the predominant type of populism in the EU does not overlap with the type of concerns on a national level. Implications for this tendency are provided.

Author Biographies

Lora Hadzhidimova, Old Dominion University

Lora Hadzhidimova is a PhD candidate in International Studies with a focus on Security Studies at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA. She earned her MA degree in Humanities at ODU and holds an LL.M. degree from Sofia University, Bulgaria. Previously, she completed internships with the Operational Analysis branch in NATO-ACT and the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, VA.

Aaron Stacey, Old Dominion University

Aaron Stacey has a BA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from the University of Stirling in the UK, and an MA in Political Economy of Russia and Eastern Europe from University College London. He is currently a Doctoral Candidate in the Graduate Program in International Studies at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, where he concentrated in Transnational, Interdependence and Power, and International Political Economy. In addition to European academic interests, he has also worked at the Institute for Asian Studies, and the Confucius Institute.