300270 LEH: Soziologische Methoden - quantitativ LF1: The Populist Radical Right in Europe (LEH) (WiSe 2024/2025)

Populism and polarization have emerged as significant social phenomena that have dominated discussions in the social sciences in recent years. While populist movements challenge liberal democracies around the globe, populist radical right parties have notably established a stable presence in European parliaments, particularly since the 1990s. In a growing number of countries, populist radical right parties have even been in government, exemplified by Fratelli d’Italia in Italy, the Fidesz party in Hungary, and the FPÖ in Austria.

The seminar (LEH) empirically examines the causes, dynamics, and consequences of support of populist radical right parties both within and across countries.

In the first part of the seminar (LEH), we will review the current state of research on this topic. This includes, amongst others, definitory debates on the concept of populist radical right contrasting it with related concepts, such as right-wing extremism, nationalism, etc. as well as an overview of populist radical right parties in Europe. We will also explore both individual and contextual factors that contribute to public support for these parties. Additionally, we will discuss the implications of increasing support for populist radical right parties on political discourse and democratic processes. During this first part of the seminar (LEH), participants will have the opportunity to develop their own research questions, either individually or in small groups. These questions will be addressed empirically in the second part of the seminar, where participants will utilize existing data sources.

The second part of the seminar (LEH) will focus on skills for analyzing quantitative data, particularly survey data derived from comparative research designs. Participants will have access to data from various sources, including the European Social Survey, the European Elections Study, and the International Social Survey Programme. Alternative data sources at the level of parties, their manifestos, and countries may also be utilized. Depending on the research interests of the participants, we will cover hierarchical regression models, also known as multilevel regression. Analyses will be conducted using the statistical software Stata, although participants may also choose to use R.