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Hardly ever relevant? An appraisal of nativist economics through the Hungarian case

Acta Politica volume 52, pages 339–360 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Populist radical right parties place selective emphasis on immigration or minority issues, generally garnering support on the basis of their exclusionary agenda. However, populist radical right parties are not single-issue organisations and strenuously endeavour to come across as credible actors in different policy areas. It has been observed that, especially since the outbreak of the EU crisis, populist radical right parties have called new attention to socioeconomic issues. The article concentrates on one case in particular and tries to understand how these issues are framed by Jobbik – the populist radical right party of Hungary. Whilst the article ascertains a ‘social’ orientation in the ideology of the party, it also contributes to refine our understanding of the (inward and outward) secondary character of socioeconomic issues in the agenda of these parties.

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Figure 1

Source: World Bank (2014)

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Acknowledgments

Earlier drafts of this article were presented at the 8th European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) General Conference, 3–6 September 2014, Glasgow, and the XXVIII Meeting of the Italian Political Science Association (SISP), 11–13 September 2014, Perugia. I want to thank Pietro Castelli Gattinara, Igor Guardiancich, and Elena Pavan for the valuable exchanges, as well as the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive and perceptive comments in the process of revision of this work.

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  1. Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Scuola Normale Superiore, Palazzo Strozzi, 50123, Florence, Italy

    Andrea L. P. Pirro

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Pirro, A.L.P. Hardly ever relevant? An appraisal of nativist economics through the Hungarian case. Acta Polit 52, 339–360 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41269-016-0032-y

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Keywords

  • populist radical right
  • Jobbik
  • central and Eastern Europe
  • ideology
  • party competition
  • economy