Populist radical right parties' impact on european foreign aid spending

Hackenesch, Christine / Maximilian Högl / Hannes Öhler / Aline Burni
External Publications (2022)

in: Journal of Common Market Studies 60 (5), 1391-1415

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13308
open access

Since the early 2000s, populist radical right parties (PRRPs) have more than doubled their electoral support in Europe. Previous research found that PRRPs impact migration policy. However, little is known about whether they also impact other fields of domestic and foreign policy. Using a cross-country panel analysis, we test to what extent the rise of PRRPs has influenced European foreign aid spending. We find that while the rise of PRRPs has not been associated with an overall reduction in foreign aid, it has led to changes in how aid moneys are spent. PRRP strength is linked to a higher share of aid for migration-containment objectives, and less aid for addressing climate change and for multilateral organizations. Our analysis thereby provides evidence that the ‘electoral threat’ of PRRPs puts mainstream parties under pressure not only with regard to migration but also in relation to the climate–development nexus and aid for multilateralism.

Populist radical right parties' impact on european foreign aid spending

About the authors

Hackenesch, Christine

Oehler, Hannes

Burni, Aline

Further experts

Baydag, Melis

Berensmann, Kathrin

Bergmann, Julian

Dang, Vy

Erforth, Benedikt

Fasold, Maximilian

Friesen, Ina

Furness, Mark

Grimm, Sven

Hilbrich, Sören

Keijzer, Niels

Koch, Svea

Löpelt, Sarah

Mchowa, Chifundo

Sommer, Christoph

von Haaren, Paula

Walle, Yabibal

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