Populism and ethno-territorial politics in European multi-level systems

Abstract

The relationship between populism and ethno-territorial politics has emerged repeatedly in empirical studies outside Western Europe. This article presents the main aim of the special issue, which is the systematic and empirically based investigation of the linkages between populism and ethno-territorial ideologies in Western European states. By introducing a conceptual map, in which the defining characteristics of populism, regionalism, statenationalism, and Euroscepticism are identified and conceptualized, the article proceeds with the possible linkage points between both concepts. It also proposes a smallest common denominator relationship between populism and ethno-territorial ideologies in that the notion of 'homogeneous people' becomes inexorably connected to the concept of 'nation' or 'region' pitted against political, economic, and cultural elites operating at various levels of government. By foreshadowing and discussing several of the key findings of the empirical case studies presented in this special issue, the introductory article highlights important emerging trends. Most crucially, only radical-right parties (both regionalist and state-nationalist) appear to be inherently and stably populist. The same parties are also clearly Eurosceptic. By contrast, several regionalist parties, positioned in the mainstream left or right, tend to adopt a populist discourse only incidentally and temporarily.

Globalization, robotization, and electoral outcomes: Evidence from spatial regressions for Italy

“…Mapping electoral trends across the Atlantic, Rodrik (2018) finds that the rise of populism in Europe is a recent swift phenomenon (moving from below 5% in the late 1980s to more than 20% by 2011–2015) and is associated with right‐wing positions: Economic anxiety and discontent have been channeled through nationalistic narratives emphasizing identity cleavages against foreigners and technological progress. Indeed, the 2018 general elections in Italy certified the emergence of parties framing “the people” in a territorial sense (Heinisch, Massetti, & Mazzoleni, 2018), whereby locals and natives are portrayed as threatened by foreign migrants, foreign firms, and technological innovations introduced by internationalized companies and multinationals as means to obtain extra profits.…”

Interventions on European nationalist populism and bordering in time of emergencies

“…Next to the national and regional (read: subnational) scales of populism ( Heinisch et al., 2018 ), this justifies a call for more scholarly attention to the European (read: supranational) scope of populist politics. Research is much needed regarding the transnational diffusion of populist discourses ( Wodak, 2015 ; Van Hauwaert, 2019 ), but foremost regarding the details of exclusionary populists’ engagements with the EU, the border frames they articulate, and the bordering practices they advocate at the national and at the EU levels.…”

Left-wing regionalist populism in the ‘Celtic’ peripheries: Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party’s anti-austerity challenge against the British elites

“…Indeed, this article does not claim that populism is a stable and core feature within Plaid and the SNP's ideology and discourse. However, by analysing how Plaid and the SNP engaged with populism in the period 2010-2017, it shows that the adop-tion of a populist discourse is a 'potential option' for minority nationalist/regionalist parties for two main reasons: first, the terms 'nation' and 'people' can be easily used interchangeably due to their partially overlapping meaning, and secondly, the political elites of the state from which the regionalist party aims to gain more autonomy or independence constitute a natural target (Heinisch et al 2018). As a result, the use of a discourse that pits a homogeneous people (aka the regional nation) against hostile (host state) elites is a constant potential option: an option that becomes more viable/convenient in specific periods and under-specific circumstances.…”

“…2 For a terminological/conceptual discussion of this party family, see Massetti (2009a). Following the editorial article of this special issue (Heinisch et al 2018), the terms regionalist and minority nationalist are used interchangeably. 3 See also Mazzoleni and Ruzza (2018) in this special issue.…”