Search

Numerous studies show that ruling parties paid a political price for the recent economic crisis. Yet the degree to which the most-affected households held the government accountable for their personal economic misfortune during the crisis remains an open question. Survey data from 21 countries in Europe and Central Asia show that individuals whose income was adversely affected by the crisis, who had to curtail spending to make ends meet, or who tried to increase their income were more likely to disapprove of incumbent governments than were those who were less directly affected. Panel data from the Netherlands confirms that drops in income during the crisis led to lower levels of government support. While politicians were held accountable for the crisis generally, households that suffered economic pain held their governments accountable for their losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electoral consequences of the Great Recession are analysed in this article by combining insights from economic voting theories and the literature on party system change. Taking cues from these two theoretical perspectives, the impact of the Great Recession on the stability and change of Western, Central and Eastern European party systems is assessed. The article starts from the premise that, in order to fully assess the impact of the contemporary crisis, classic economic voting hypotheses focused on incumbent parties need to be combined with accounts of long-term party system change provided by realignment and dealignment theories. The empirical analysis draws on an original dataset of election results and economic and political indicators in 30 European democracies. The results indicate that during the Great Recession economic strain was associated with sizable losses for incumbent parties and an increasing destabilisation of Western European party systems, while its impact was significantly weaker in Central and Eastern European countries, where political rather than economic failures appeared to be more relevant. In line with the realignment perspective, the results also reveal that in Western Europe populist radical right, radical left and non-mainstream parties benefited the most from the economic hardship, while support for mainstream parties decreased further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the social and political conditions in Europe, contending that the definitions of the political left and right have been called into question by anti-establishment radicalism. An overview of radical political parties in the European Parliament, including the Greek political party Golden Dawn, the Austria political party the Freedom Party of Austria and the Hungarian political party Jobbik, is provided. European economic conditions' impact on politics, including in regard to unemployment and stagnant wages, are discussed.

The article discusses the European political left and social democracy from the 1970s through the mid 2010s, including the impact of the European Sovereign Debt Crisis on the left. An overview of neoliberalism in Europe, including in regard to the blame received by European social democratic parties for the Sovereign Debt Crisis is provided. An overview of the role that economic conditions in Europe play in politics on the continent, including regard to British Labor Party chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown's praise of the British economy, is also provided.

The article analyzes the potential for far right political parties to gain ground in May 2014 elections for the European Union's (EU's) European Parliament (EP). Parties noted include the French National Front (FN), the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), and the Golden Dawn party in Greece. Other topics include the economic impact of the Great Recession in 2008 on far right parties, differences between extreme and radical political parties, and the notion of second-order election cycles.