The Swiss SVP : when a radical right populist party plays as a mainstream

The article assesses the influence of radical right populist parties on policy-making in Europe. Much scientific research has been conducted on populism, theoretically and empirically, through different facets: their history, their leaders, their discourses, or their electorate. Yet the populist phenomenon has barely been studied by policy analysis. What influence do populist parties have on policy-making? This question is crucial since these parties are on the rise in Europe and are often perceived as dangerous for democracy. This article investigates the case of the Swiss ‘Schweizerische Volkspartei’ (SVP) and analyzes its influence on the policy-making in a typical “radical right populist” issue: law and order. The SVP has always been a member of the federal government and even became the first Swiss political party at the Lower House in 2003. In addition, its electoral weight was strengthened in the recent elections of 2015. To assess its influence, SVP electoral pledges (2011-2015) are qualitatively traced through the institutional arenas, thanks to a documents analysis, interviews conducted with elected officials and direct observations. The study suggests that the SVP can influence the policy-making in the law and order sector. However, this influence significantly evolves according to the policy-making stage under analysis. Only an indirect influence can be exercised by the SVP in order to fully translate its electoral pledges into decisions

How do strategies adopted by mainstream parties towards radical right populist parties affect policy? Belgium and Switzerland in comparison

Radical right populist parties (RRPPs) are on the rise in many European countries since the 1990s. That situation has highly concerned citizens, political leaders but also political scientists. Beyond the fact that they are perceived as a threat for democracy, RRPPs are also recognized as representing an electoral threat for mainstream parties, notably because of their anti-establishment stance. Because of this pressure on mainstream parties, different political strategies towards RRPPs are developed by mainstream parties. While the literature in political science has already assessed the impact of such strategies on RRPPs and on mainstream parties themselves, their impact on public policy remains unexplored. This article thus contributes to fill this gap by comparing two contrasted cases: Switzerland and Belgium. Therefore, this article addresses the following question: what is the impact of strategies adopted by mainstream parties towards RRPPs in Belgium and Switzerland? By using the process-tracing method, this research suggests that strategies of disengagement adopted by mainstream parties towards RRPPs – even when these RRPPs are in power – seriously limit the policy influence of RRPPs and make them barely relevant in terms of policy. Therefore, the policy impact of such strategies is particularly strong

Vox populi vox Dei? – Überlegungen zu Populismus und Demokratie

Der Populismus prägt die politische Bühne des 21. Jahrhunderts: Weitverbreitet ist die Praxis in der Politik, durch einfache Schlagworte und sich auf den “wahren Willen des Volks“ berufend, Stimmen gewinnen zu wollen. Teilweise wird die Entwicklung als wirksames Mittel gegen politische Verdrossenheit begrüßt. Nur: was ist eigentlich Populismus? Und könnte der Populismus auch Gefahren für die Demokratie bergen