The Populist Radical Right: National Health Policies and Global Trends (Pre-Recorded)

Session Submission Type: In-Person Full Paper Panel

Session Description

The relationship between the populist radical right (PRR) in government and the policies they propose is an understudied phenomenon, one that has proven to be particularly important during a pandemic. In this panel we present four chapters from the book, The Populist Radical Right and Health: National Policies and Global Trends whose aim is to showcase what populist radical right parties do in government in terms of the types of policies (specifically health policies) that they pass. The book looks at the concept of populism, establishes that focusing on the PRR is most fruitful and then goes on to locate a significant gap in the literature: The relationship between PRR politicians in office and health policies. Two literature reviews were conducted, one related the PRR to health and the other relating the PRR to the COVID-19 pandemic, both resulting in very thin results confirming the importance of this research. It is not just health policies that do not appear to be aptly represented within this literature, but policies in general. The bottom line is neither political science research nor public health research seems to really know what PRR parties or politicians do when they are in government. Based on the limited literature in the field, the book introduces six hypotheses on the type of politics PRR politicians in office might pursue: Welfare chauvinism, liberal chauvinism, welfare populism conservatism, clientelism or they take an anti-scientific approach to health policies. While the book looks at 10 different country cases investigating the health policies PRR parties or politicians promoted and/or implemented while in government, this panel will present a selection of four country cases. The Netherlands, Hungary, Poland and the United Kingdom will each cover three important points: First, an overview of the prevailing PRR party or politician will be given. Why the party or politician is considered PRR will also be addressed. Second, the health policies passed while the PRR politician was in office will be highlighted and discussed in detail. These policies will then be classified according to the above-mentioned hypotheses. Finally, each country case will examine the coronavirus pandemic and the reactions, or lack thereof, of the PRR politicians.

Sub Unit

• Division 48: Health Politics & Health Policy

Individual Presentations

• Populist Radical Right Influence on Health Policy in the Netherlands - Chiara Rinaldi, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Marleen Bekker, Wageningen University and Research

• The Populist Radical Right and Health in Hungary - Gabor Scheiring, Bocconi University; Alexandru Daniel Moise, European University Institute; Olga Loblova, University of Cambridge

• Is the Polish ‘Law and Justice’ (PiS) a Typical Populist Radical Right Party? - Michał Zabdyr-Jamróz, Jagiellonian University Medical College; Olga Loblova, University of Cambridge; Alexandru Daniel Moise, European University Institute

• The Case of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) - Ian P. McManus, Emerson College

Chair

• Michelle Falkenbach Cornell University

Discussants

• Scott L. Greer University of Michigan

• Alexandre Afonso Leiden University

• Ashley M Fox SUNY at Albany