MAINSTREAMING THE EUROPEAN RADICAL RIGHT: A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ELECTORAL AND NORMATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF MAINSTREAM RIGHT ACCOMMODATION FROM 2014-2020

The rise of the European radical-right has elicited the need for response from mainstream political parties to combat the electoral threat that these challenger parties pose. This paper critically analyzes the dominant strategic approach of the mainstream right, accommodation on the issue of immigration, addressing not only the electoral effects but also the normative consequences. Using a quantitative analysis of party positioning on the issue of immigration from 2014 to 2019, based on the CHES expert survey data, as well as individual-level survey data drawn from the European Social Survey Wave 10, this study analyzes how accommodating behavior by the mainstream may influence individual attitudes towards immigration. The main finding is that while accommodation can be electorally effective in preventing voter defection to the radical right, the strategy also has normative consequences, leading to more restrictive attitudes towards immigrants for individuals across the political spectrum.