Abstract
AbstractPopulist radical right (PRR) parties have increasingly occupied positions of power in recent years, inspiring much scholarly interest in the mainstreaming consequences of government responsibility. This article analyses the extent and manner of mainstreaming of the Rassemblement National (RN) while in power at the local level of government in France. A municipal-level focus enables the novel inclusion of the party into the debate about the consequences of government participation for the PRR. We conduct a paired case study analysis of RN-led Hénin-Beaumont, the political base of Marine Le Pen and her ‘de-demonization’ strategy, alongside nearby Lens, which is led by a mainstream party. We analyse the policy and discourse of the administration through a qualitative content analysis of mayoral statements and data from semi-structured interviews with local politicians. The results show a partial mainstreaming due to the strategic exercise of local government power to present a more moderate and capable image, as well as the use of populist discourse to frame mainstream opposition forces and the local press as working against the interests of ‘the people’.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Subject
Public Administration,Sociology and Political Science
Cited by
34 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献，注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献，订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献
1. Second phase: The activation stage;The Normalization of the Radical Right;2024-09-02
2. First phase: The latency equilibrium;The Normalization of the Radical Right;2024-09-02
3. Reported vote: An observational measure of political stigma;The Normalization of the Radical Right;2024-09-02
4. Dedication;The Normalization of the Radical Right;2024-09-02
5. Additional materials and analyses;The Normalization of the Radical Right;2024-09-02