ASSESSING THE RISE OF RIGHT-WING POPULISM IN THE EU: IS IMMIGRATION REALLY THE CAUSE?

Abstract

In recent years, there was a visible shift in citizens’ attitudes towards voting for right-wing populist parties all across the EU even in countries previously considered “immune” such as Germany, Spain, and Sweden. This paper aims to assess the rise of right-wing populism in relation to the 2015 immigration crisis through a comparative outline of their electoral results before and after the crisis. The paper argues that the 2015 immigration crisis might be the triggering element that catalyzed the rise of radical right populism; however, the continuity of this rising trend can’t be explained exclusively by the immigration factor. Therefore, the paper will explore the more structural causes behind the rise of radical-right populism, in essence, economic and institutional causes.