Depleting Democracies: Radical Right Impact on Parties, Policies, and Polities in Eastern Europe

(Hardback)

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How and to what degree have the radical right in Eastern Europe affected democratic quality What is the relationship between the radical rights electoral strength, its coalition and blackmail potential and its impact How do other parties respond if nationalism gains ground in a democracy

Depleting democracies explores these questions through the examples of three groups of countries where radical right parties are strong: Bulgaria and Slovakia; Hungary, Poland and Romania; and the Czech Republic and Estonia. Combining quantitative and qualitative methods, the book examines how radical right parties influenced mainstream parties' positions and public policy regarding vulnerable groups such as ethnic and national minorities and asylum-seekers between 2000 and 2016. It argues that by undermining the liberal values of equality and inclusiveness, they drive a process of depletion that fundamentally challenges democratic quality in the region.

Author Bio

Michael Minkenberg is Professor of Comparative Politics at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)

Zsuzsanna Vgh is a Researcher at the Chair of Comparative Politics at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)