FORBA – Workshop: SIREN 2002

Programm

Erich Fröschl
Renner-Institut, Vienna
Welcome and initial remarks

Giulia Amaducci, Scientific Officer SIREN, at the European Commission
Introductory remarks

Jörg Flecker
Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt, Vienna (www.forba.at)
Do changes in working life contribute to the rise of right-wing populism? Introduction of the SIREN project and comments on the Austrian discussion

Andras Toth and Istvan Grajczar
Institute of Political Science of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest
The crisis of the extreme right and the rise of the populist moderate right in Hungary in the context of socio-economic change

Patrizia Milesi and Vera Ruth Martinelli
Laboratorio di Psicologia Sociale Applicata, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan
Right-wing extremism and social change in Italy

Eva Thoft and Edvin Grinderslev
Centre for Alternative Social Analysis (CASA), Copenhagen
Danish People's Party – Custodian of the welfare state? Right-wing populism and socio-economic change in Denmark

Yves de Weerdt
Hoger Instituut voor de Arbeid (HIVA), K.U. Leuven, Belgium
Flanders: Right-wing extremism in a prosperous region

Discussion with representatives from all SIREN participants

Abstract

What makes people in relatively well-off European countries and regions, such as Flanders, Germany, Austria, Northern Italy, Denmark, or more recently France, support right-wing populist and extremist parties and movements?

Although research indicates that growing socio-economic insecurity and the emergence of xenophobia and extreme right-wing ideologies are interrelated, economic disadvantage and social exclusion alone cannot entirely explain the phenomenon. Quite on the contrary, there is evidence to show that it is also middle-class people - those who are afraid of losing economic privileges or who are beginning to face severe competition - who contribute to the success of right- wing populist or extremist politicians.

It is exactly these questions - on the interconnectivity between changes in working life and the appeal of the Far Right - that the EU- funded research project "Socio-economic Change, Individual Reactions and the Appeal of the Extreme Right" (www.siren.at) has undertaken to explore. Based on qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey carried out in 8 European countries, SIREN aims to come to a deeper understanding of the subjective reactions to socio-economic change in order to develop recommendations for fine- tuning policies in the areas of employment, labour market, social security, anti-discrimination, and education.

In a series of short presentations and an ensuing discussion, representatives of the participating institutions in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Switzerland will present the results of a literature review and outline the particular situation in the respective countries.