Does intra-party democracy affect levels of trust in parties? The cases of Belgium and Israel

© 2017 CCBY. Previous research has shown a steady decline of citizen's political trus and growing skepticism towards key institutions of representative democr acy. Political parties, which perform the crucial role of linking citizens to the political system, are in the eye of the storm: citizens are generally more distrusting towards parties than other social and political institutions. The relevant literature mentions that parties often implement intra-party democratization to remedy party distrust. This article examines whether democratic candidate selection processes actually affect party trust among voters. The analysis is based on the cases of Belgium and Israel, where politicians made a strong case for intra-party democracy in recent history. The results indicate that, while inclusive selectorates indeed increase trust levels, decentralization decreases trust towards parties in both countries.status: publishe

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

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 \u2013 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