Sverigedemokraterna I De Svenska Kommunerna 2002–2006

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Sverigedemokraterna I De Svenska Kommunerna 2002–2006 Sverigedemokraterna i de svenska kommunerna 2002–2006 En studie av politisk aktivitet, strategi och mobilisering Sverigedemokraterna i de svenska kommunerna 2002–2006 © Integrationsverket, 2006 ISBN 91-89609-28-X Integrationsverket Box 633 601 14 Norrköping Sättning: Elanders Anymedia, Stockholm Tryck: Elanders Infologistics Väst, Stockholm, 2006 Sverigedemokraterna i de svenska kommunerna 2002–2006 En studie av politisk aktivitet, strategi och mobilisering Innehåll Innehåll 5 Förord 7 Summary 8 Sammanfattning 12 Inledning 16 • Syfte och frågeställningar 17 • Teoretisk ram, metod och källmaterial 19 • Disposition 21 1. Sverigedemokraterna – historia, organisation, ideologi, representation och varför högerpopulism vinner framgångar • Historia 22 • Organisation 26 • Ideologi 30 • Representation 43 • Varför högerpopulism vinner framgångar 45 2. Kommunrapporter och ett par fördjupande analyser 47 • Västernorrlands län 48 • Dalarnas län 51 • Uppsala län 54 • Västmanlands län 56 • Örebro län 58 • Stockholms län 60 • Värmlands län 63 • Västra Götalands län 74 • Blekinge län 81 • Skåne län 93 • Tre ytterligare kommuner som fått sverige- demokratisk representation under mandatperioden 129 • Kort sammanfattning – kommunerna 134 • Karta över kommuner i Skåne med sverigedemokratisk representation 136 • Sverigedemokraterna, Skåne och Danmark: historia och analys 138 • Islam – riva moskéer eller hjälpa fl ickebarn? 146 3. Sammanfattande analys 154 • Kommuner som fi ck sverigedemokratisk representation 155 • Situationen i fullmäktige 161 • Politik, aktivitet och strategi 164 • Representation, mobilisering av väljare och bristande intern demokrati 175 • Kyrkovalet 2005 176 • Rekommendationer 177 4. Tabeller • Tabell 1: Valresultat, kommunala mandat, Sverigedemokraterna 2002 182 • Tabell 2: Valresultat, kommuner där Sverigedemokraterna kandiderade 2002 184 • Tabell 3: Valresultat, Sverigedemokraterna i kyrkovalet 2005 186 5. Fotnoter 188 6. Referenser 203 Förord Integrationsverket skall enligt sin instruktion förebygga och motverka främlingsfi entlighet, rasism och etnisk diskrimi- nering. Som ett led i detta arbete har myndigheten fått i upp- drag av regeringen att redovisa en analys av tillståndet för och utvecklingen av rasism och främlingsfi entlighet, inklusive anti- semitism och islamofobi, samt att göra en internationell jäm- förelse när det är relevant. Inom ramen för uppdraget fi nns anledning att även följa den politiska mobilisering och organi- sering som sker inom området. Föreliggande vetenskapliga studie har Integrationsverket beställt av Ulla Ekström von Essen vid Södertörns högskola. I studien analyseras sverigedemokraternas arbete i de kommu- ner där de haft mandat i kommunfullmäktige sedan valet 2002. Studien är relaterad till annan forskning om radikal högerpo- pulism (RHP-partier). Sverigedemokraterna studeras därmed i en internationell kontext, som ett svenskt exempel på den poli- tiska mobilisering som sker på fl era håll. Studien utgör också ett bidrag till ett forskningsområde som ytterligare behöver utvecklas. Ulla Ekström von Essen, fi l dr i idéhistoria, är forsknings- ansvarig. Hon har även skrivit den största delen av rapporten. Medverkat har även forskningsassistent Rasmus Fleischer, fi l kand, gjort. I egenskap av forskningsansvarig och huvudsak- lig författare till rapporten ansvarar Ulla Ekström von Essen själv för innehållet i studien; dess metodologiska och teoretiska ansats samt resultat, analys och rekommendationer. Integra- tionsverket tar inte ställning till innehållet. Ansvarig vid Inte- grationsverket har analytiker Cecilia Englund varit. Norrköping den 21 juni 2006 Abdullahi Aress Cecilia Englund Avdelningschef Analytiker Analysavdelningen Analysavdelningen Summary Sverigedemokraterna (the Sweden Democrats) in the Swedish municipal councils 2002–2006 This survey examines the Swedish radical right-wing nationa- list party, Sverigedemokraterna (the Sweden Democrats) and its political activities, strategy and mobilisation in Swedish local politics during the period 2002–2006. The Sweden Democrats is the fi rst radical right-wing nationalist party to have made a relative breakthrough in Swedish local politics, which indicates that the tendency in Europe for xenophobic and nationalistic parties to become established in parliamentary assemblies has also reached Sweden. In the 2002 general election the Sweden Democrats gained 49 municipal seats in 29 of Sweden’s 290 municipalities. The objective of this study is to map out and analyse the par- ticipation of the Sweden Democrats in the municipal councils, to see which policies they have tried to promote and how the party eventually has been integrated into the traditional party system. We examine whether the Sweden Democrats have gai- ned any sympathy for their political proposals, shifted the poli- tical agenda, and whether they have succeeded in legitimising themselves as a political party and player in the local political arena. The relationship of the Sweden Democrats to other simi- lar local parties with grievances is also investigated. As a complementary objective the study also aims to expose some indications of a connection between Sweden Democrats’ representation and educational levels, production structure, unemployment, age structure, segregation and activities con- cerning the reception of refugees into the municipality. There is a review of the Sweden Democrats’ results in the 2005 church council elections, where it strengthened its posi- tion, and the line followed by the party in the Church Assembly. 9 History and ideology of the Sweden Democrats political party Chapter 1 reviews and discusses the history of the Sweden Democrats, and its organisational structure, ideological inhe- ritance and development. The Sweden Democrats has its ori- gins in a century-old nationalist movement tied to currents of fascist and Nazi ideas. A decade ago the party began a process of distancing itself from National Socialism, anti-Semitic con- spiracy theories and biological racism. Instead it has staked out an ideological line characterised by ethnic nationalism, ethnic pluralism and acquired a populist strategy. A culture-essen- tialism has replaced the earlier explicit racist rhetoric. Through studying programme texts and other internal documents, the ideological changes are analysed and discussed, with the asser- tion that there is some doubt as to whether these refl ect any signifi cant change in the party’s fundamental worldview and outlook on mankind in a moral, epistemological and cultural perspective. Those ideological changes that can be identifi ed in the party’s public documentary statements are marked by the power shift that took place in the spring of 2005, when the party’s more intellectual wing based in Skåne took its place in the party lead- ership. The populist strategy that has become more apparent among the Sweden Democrats is related to those causes that are usually advanced as an explanation for the increased success of radical right-wing nationalist parties: changes in the structure of production resulting from a global economy, changes in the political interpretation framework and an increased focus on identity, culture and feminism instead of, as earlier in the 20th century, the relationship between the working and capitalist classes, along with a reduced traditional class vote that opens niches for populist entrepreneurs. Communal activities and regional differences Chapter 2 forms the empirical part of the study and contains reports from all the municipalities holding representation of the Sweden Democrats. The principal sources were delegation reports, proposals from the Sweden Democrats and interviews with the chairmen of the municipal councils in the municipali- ties. The results have shown large regional differences in respect of both voter support and the implementation of policies. As the support for the Sweden Democrats is incomparably grea- test in southern Sweden, particularly in Skåne, the regional dif- ferences are examined in greater depth in two sections. On the one hand the breakthrough of the party on the Skåne popu- list scene is reviewed, on the other hand light is thrown on the 10 Sverigedemokraterna i de svenska kommunerna 2002–2006 party’s relationship to Denmark and the Danish Folk Party, showing how some of the policies follow Danish patterns. Here it is asserted that developments in Denmark have been signi- fi cant for the Sweden Democrats, and that there are obvious similarities in the process that have led to both the Sweden Democrats and the Danish Folk Party formulating policies that are critical of immigration policies and which subsequently have gained ground. Results The fi nal chapter of the study is an analytical summary of the results. Those districts where the Sweden Democrats have obtained representation can be broadly divided into four categories: Municipalities with a low educational level, characterised by manufacturing industry and both high and low levels of immi- grants, urban municipalities with a high level of immigration and strong segregation, small agricultural communities with a low level of education and high age structure, and wealthy villa communities bordering on segregated areas. It is signifi cant that a majority of these municipalities are tra- ditionally aligned with social democracy, which shows that the Sweden Democrats’ strategy of winning over social-democratic voters has had a certain amount of success. Regional differences are seen, where the greatest support is in Skåne and Blekinge.
Recommended publications
  • Save the Nation! a Social Psychological Study Of
    Department of Social Research University of Helsinki Finland SAVE THE NATION! A SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY OF POLITICAL BLOGS AS A MEDIUM FOR NATIONALIST COMMUNICATION AND PERSUASION Katarina Pettersson ACADEMIC DISSERTATION To be presented, with the permission of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Helsinki, for public examination in lecture room 13, University main building, on June 9th 2017, at 12 noon. Helsinki 2017 Publications of the Department of Social Research 2017:51 Social Psychology © Katarina Pettersson Cover: Jere Kasanen Cover picture: Laura Pakarinen Distribution and Sales: Unigrafia Bookstore http://shop.unigrafia.fi/ [email protected] ISSN 2343-273X (Print) ISSN 2343-2748 (Online) ISBN 978-951-51-2607-8 (Print) ISBN 978-951-51-2608-5 (Online) Unigrafia, Helsinki 2017 ABSTRACT This doctoral dissertation explores how populist radical right politicians in Finland and Sweden use political blogs for the purpose of nationalist political communication and persuasion. The study builds upon research that has highlighted the growing importance of social media in the transmission of radical right, nationalist and anti-immigration political discourse, and to the central role of these media in the gradual normalisation of such discourse. Moreover, the study acknowledges the potential – indicated by previous research – of political blogs to function as tools for voter persuasion and mobilisation. The study aims to contribute with insights on how social psychological dynamics such as self-presentation, identity-constructions, discursive divisions between ‘ingroups’ and ‘outgroups’, strategies of persuasion, and appeals to emotions and nostalgic memories are involved in these processes. The dissertation examines blog-entries by members of the populist radical right parties the Finns Party (Perussuomalaiset) in Finland and the Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna) in Sweden during 2007-2015.
    [Show full text]
  • Niklas Bolin Nicholas Aylott Mid Sweden University Södertörn University
    Polish Political Science Review. Polski Przegląd Politologiczny 7 (1)/2019 Niklas Bolin Nicholas Aylott Mid Sweden University Södertörn University RIGHT-WING POPULIST PARTY LEADERSHIP IN SWEDEN: ONE OF A KIND OR ONE OF THE CROWD? DOI: 10.2478/ppsr-2019-0002 Authors Niklas Bolin is Associate Professor of Political Science, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall. His research interests include elections, political parties and party systems with a special focus on new parties. Previously he has published in journals including Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, Party Politics, West European Politics and Scandinavian Political Studies. ORCID no. 0000–0002–2597–363X e-mail: [email protected] Nicholas Aylott is Associate Professor of Political Science at Södertörn University, Stockholm. His main fi eld is comparative politics, with a thematic focus on political parties. He has written and co-written books on the impact of European integration on party strategy and organization, in- cluding Political Parties in Multi-Level Polities: Th e Nordic Countries Compared (Palgrave, 2013), and has had his research published in various journals. ORCID no. 0000–0001–9346–2324 e-mail: [email protected] Abstract Are right-wing populist parties fundamentally diff erent from other types? Th is article explores one aspect of what we call the exceptionalist thesis. Th e thesis could be applied to a wide range of party characteristics, but here we focus on leadership. In this context, our case study is of the Sweden Democrats (SD). First, we examine how SD selects its leader. Second, we assess how lead- ership works in practice in SD, especially regarding party management.
    [Show full text]
  • Right-Wing Extremism in Europe I Ii Right-Wing Extremism in Europe Right-Wing Extremism
    Ralf Melzer, Sebastian Serafin (Eds.) RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM IN EUROPE Country Analyses, Counter-Strategies and Labor-Market Oriented Exit Strategies COUNTRY ANALYSES SWEDEN FES GEGEN RECHTS EXTREMISMUS Forum Berlin RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM IN EUROPE I II RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM IN EUROPE RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM IN EUROPE Country Analyses, Counter-Strategies and Labor-Market Oriented Exit Strategies COUNTRY ANALYSES SWEDEN n Ralf Melzer, Sebastian Serafi (Eds.) ISBN: 978-3-86498-940-7 Friedrich-Ebert-StiftungEdited for: by Ralf Melzer(Friedrich and SebastianEbert Foundation) Serafin “Project on Combatting Right-Wing Extremism” Forum Berlin/Politischer Dialog Hiroshimastraße 17, 10785 Berlin Sandra Hinchman, Lewis Hinchman Proofreading: zappmedia GmbH,Translations: Berlin Pellens Kommunikationsdesigndpa PictureGmbH, Alliance BonnPhotos: Design: Projekt „GegenCopyright Rechtsextremismus“, 2014 by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Forum Berlin RIGHT-WINGThe spelling, grammar, and other linguistic conventions in this publication reflect The judgments and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not necessarily represent the views of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation or of the editors. This publication was compiled as part of a project entitled “Confronting right-wing extremism Editors’ notes: by developing networks of exit-oriented assistance.” That project, in turn, is integral to the American English usage. XENOS special program known as “exit to enter” which has received grants from both the EXTREMISMGerman Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the European Social Fund. IN CountryEUROPE analyses, Counter-strategies and labour-market oriented Exit-strategies RECHTSEXTREMISMUS IN EUROPA IN RECHTSEXTREMISMUS ISBN: 978 - 3 - 86498 - 522 - 5 S FE GEGEN S RECHT S Forum Berlin MISMU EXTRE Inhalt 1. Introduction ..............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Gender Equality and Radical Right Wing Populist Parties a Comparative Study Between the Netherlands and Sweden
    Gender Equality and Radical Right Wing Populist Parties A comparative study between the Netherlands and Sweden Clara Marlijn Meijer 3904067 RMA Gender and Ethnicity Utrecht University First supervisor prof. dr. Anne-Marie Korte Second supervisor dr. Mia Liinason February - July 2015 ! 2 Gender Equality and Radical Right Wing Populist Parties A comparison study between the Netherlands and Sweden Clara Marlijn Meijer student nr. 3904067 Final Thesis for the RMA Gender and Ethnicity Graduate Genderstudies Programme Department of Media and Culture Studies Faculty of the Humanities Utrecht University, the Netherlands First supervisor: prof. dr. Anne-Marie Korte Second supervisor: dr. Mia Liinason ! 3! ! 4 Preface Equality is a term that I have been raised with. As a woman, with two older brothers at my side, I have been encouraged to see, and have, the same opportunities. At the age of 17 I began travelling abroad during my bachelor in journalism. I learned to acknowledge that the gender equality, which I had experienced, was not standard for everyone. This was also not the case in my own home country the Netherlands. Fascinated and challenged by this, I began to read feminist books and articles and started following news about human and women’s rights. In my third year, I decided to do a minor in gender studies, in Istanbul. From there, I decided to specialize in gender studies as a research journalist. During the last two years of my research master, Gender and Ethnicity, I have been focusing, more and more, on the growing right-wing political parties in Northern Europe. During my research internship in Gothenburg, I read a lot on gender equality and the ways this was implemented in governmental policies.
    [Show full text]
  • “Sweden Democrats”: an Anti-Immigration Vote
    September 2018 “SWEDEN DEMOCRATS”: AN ANTI-IMMIGRATION VOTE Johan MARTINSSON fondapol.org “SWEDEN DEMOCRATS”: AN ANTI-IMMIGRATION VOTE Johan MARTINSSON The Fondation pour l’innovation politique is a French think tank for European integration and free economy. Chair: Nicolas Bazire Vice-chair: Grégoire Chertok Executive Director: Dominique Reynié Chair of Scientific and Evaluation Board: Christophe de Voogd l’innovation politique l’innovation | fondapol 4 FONDATION POUR L’INNOVATION POLITIQUE A French think tank for European integration and free economy The Fondation pour l’innovation politique provides an independent forum for expertise, opinion and exchange aimed at producing and disseminating ideas and proposals. It contributes to pluralism of thought and the renewal of public discussion from a free market, forward-thinking and European perspective. Four main priorities guide the Foundation’s work: economic growth, the environment, values and digital technology. The website www.fondapol.org provides public access to all the Foundation’s work. Anyone can access and use all the data gathered for the various surveys via the platform “Data.fondapol” and the data relating to international surveys is available in several languages. In addition, our blog “Trop Libre” (Too Free) casts a critical eye over the news and the world of ideas. “Trop Libre” also provides extensive monitoring of the effects of the digital revolution on political, economic and social practices in its “Renaissance numérique” (Digital Renaissance) section. “Sweden Democrats”: An anti-immigration vote An anti-immigration Democrats”: “Sweden Additionally, reflecting the Foundation’s editorial policy, our blog “Anthropotechnie” aims to explore new avenues prompted by human enhancement, reproductive cloning, human/machine hybridization, genetic engineering and germline manipulation.
    [Show full text]
  • Vårt Svenska Kulturarv En Diskursanalys Av Sverigedemokraternas Syn På Kulturarvs- Begreppet I Relation Till Den Hegemoniska Kulturarvsdiskursen
    Vårt svenska kulturarv En diskursanalys av Sverigedemokraternas syn på kulturarvs- begreppet i relation till den hegemoniska kulturarvsdiskursen Elias Hall Institutionen för ABM Uppsatser inom musei- & kulturarvsvetenskap ISSN 1651-6079 Masteruppsats, 30 högskolepoäng, 2016, nr 105 Författare/Author Elias Hall Svensk titel Vårt svenska kulturarv: En diskursanalys av Sverigedemokraternas syn på kulturarvsbegreppet i relation till den hegemoniska kulturarvsdiskursen. English Title Our Swedish Heritage: A Discourse Analysis of the Sweden Democrats’ View on the Concept of Cultural Heri- tage, in Relation to the Hegemonic Cultural Heritage Discourse. Handledare/Supervisor Paul Agnidakis Abstract The main purpose of this thesis is to gain insight to, and widened knowledge about, the contemporary nationalis- tic movement in Sweden, represented by the Sweden Democrats, and its’ relation to cultural heritage. The party has made cultural heritage the main focal of their culture politic, but the questions are what cultural heritage is to them, what content they read in to the concept, how they value heritage, what sort of heritage policies they want to pursue, and why. And also what sort of sources and expertise that are invoked by the party. The source mate- rial, consisting of transcripts from parliamentary debates, motions, and policy documents from the party’s web page, is processed through a discourse analytic method. An important theoretical starting point is that to define a term is to define the thing itself, and that this is an expression of power, especially when it comes to a parliamen- tary party. The second purpose is to problematize and discuss the concept of heritage on a meta level by comparing the results from the empirical study with earlier research that explores the hegemonic heritage discourse.
    [Show full text]
  • Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna)
    SWEDEN DEMOCRATS (SVERIGEDEMOKRATERNA) IMPACT: The most electorally successful far-right party in Sweden, the Sweden Democrats (SD, Sverigedemokraterna), have been represented in the national legislature since 2010 and the European Parliament since 2014. Rooted in Nazism and founded by white supremacists in the 1980s, the Sweden Democrats have attempted to rebrand by shifting to rhetoric and policies that stigmatize Islam, Muslims, and Muslim immigration in Sweden. SD members have a history of promoting anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, and racist statements and conspiracy theories. • Established in 1988, founding members of Sweden Democrats (SD) have roots in Nazism and Swedish fascist and white nationalist groups, including Bevara Sverige Svenskt (Keep Sweden Swedish). This includes the party’s first treasurer, Gustaf Ekström (d. 1995), who in 1941 left Sweden to join the Nazis and worked for the notorious Waffen-SS as a translator and propagandist. Anders Klarström, the first elected SD party chairman in 1989, has connections to the neo-Nazi Nordic Realm Party (Nordiska rikspartiet). • After photos came to light of SD members wearing Nazi uniforms in the mid-1990s, the party instituted a ban on uniforms and adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Brookings Institute argues that these decisions were an “attempt to present a more respectable image.” Reporting in The Telegraph describes the shift of SD and other parties across Europe, in which white nationalists traded in skinheads and jackboots for “sharp suits and ties,” as the
    [Show full text]
  • Fakta Om Folkvalda Riksdagen 2014–2018 Fakta Om Folkvalda
    Fakta om folkvalda Riksdagen 2014–2018 Fakta om folkvalda Riksdagen 2014–2018 ISBN: 978-91-88607-12-6 ISSN: 0283-4251 Tryckeri: Elanders Sverige AB, Stockholm 2017. (Tryck pocketversion: Riksdagsförvaltningen, enheten riksdagstryck, Stockholm 2017) © Riksdagsförvaltningen 2017 Mångfaldigandet av innehållet i denna bok, helt eller delvis, är enligt lag förbjudet utan medgivande av Riksdagsförvaltningen. Merparten av porträttbilderna har tagits av Melker Dahlstrand och Riksdagsförvaltningen. Statsråden har fotograferats av Kristian Pohl och Ninni Andersson. Redaktion: Riksdagsförvaltningen, Riksdagsbiblioteket. Fakta om folkvalda Riksdagen 2014–2018 Uppgifterna i biografin bygger främst på information från ledamöterna själva och avser perioden den 1 januari 2015 till 31 december 2016. De ledamöter som har lämnat sitt uppdrag under denna tidsperiod har därför ingen numrerad plats angiven. Innehåll Förord ............................................................5 Talmän och vice talmän sedan 1971 .........407 Inledning .......................................................6 Ledare för riksdagspartierna sedan 1971 .................................................408 Talman och vice talmän ................................7 De svenska regeringarna 1986– ................409 Riksdagens ledamöter ...................................9 Riksdagsvalet 2014 ....................................417 Mandatfördelning valkretsvis ...................418 Statsråd utan egen plats i riksdagen .........373 Riksdagsvalen 1976–2014 .........................419
    [Show full text]
  • Right-Wing and National Populist Parties in Europe, by the Centre for European Studies (CES) and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Has Been Published Just in Time
    Centre for European Studies RueCent dure f ocommercer European 20 Studies B-1000Rue du CBrusselsommerce 20 B-1000 Brussels TheCent Centrere for E uforro peanEuropean Studie Studiess (CES) is the official think tank of the European People’s Party dedicatedRThuee CduenCtroe mmtofo rtheeEruc rpromotioneopea20 n Studie of sChristian(CES) is Democrat,the official thin conservativek tank of th ande Eu like-mindedropean People political’s Party values. B-1000dedicat eBrusseld to thes promotion of Christian Democrat, conservative and like-minded political values. For more information please visit: The Centre for European Studies (CES) is the official think tank of the European People’s Party dedicated to the promotion of Christian Democrat, conservative and like-minded political values. www.thinkingeurope.eu For more information please visit: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V Klingelhöferstraße 23 Design: RARO S.L. DE-10785 Berlin Printed in Belgium by Drukkerij Jo Vandenbulcke The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) is a German political foundation that aims to promote democracy, peace and justice, and the further unification of Europe. It maintains a global This publication receives funding from the European Parliament. network for civic education, political dialogue, research and consulting. © Centre for European Studies 2012 The processing of the manuscript was concluded in 2011. The European Parliament assumes no responsibility for facts or opinions expressed in this publica- Fortion moreor thei informationr subsequen pleaset use. Sol visit:e responsibility lies with the editor and authors of this publication. www.thinkingeurope.eu www.kas.de Editing: Marvin DuBois and the Communicative English editing team Translation: Linguanet sprl (the chapters by Magali Balent and Andreas M.
    [Show full text]
  • Staging Appeal?
    Lund University WPMM40 Department of Political Science Tutor: Moira Nelson Staging Appeal? A longitudinal study of the Sweden Democrat’s programmatic development, between 1989 and 2014. Malin Bredenberg Abstract Can the Sweden Democrats (SDs) be accountable for their own success? If so, how can it be explained over time? This study sets out to measure the ideological appeal of the SDs and explain it via three stages of party development. Ideological appeal is conceptualised using saliency theory and explained via supply theory that centres on the behaviours of the SDs to win votes. To test behaviours, it develops an explanatory mechanism that predicts the process leading up to programmatic offerings. Ideological appeal is measured using unique primary data produced by analysing the content of the SD’s party programmes and explained via process tracing that accumulates empirical evidence on mechanisms leading up to change. The study finds compelling alterations in ideological appeal in 2003- and 2011- year’s party programme. Furthermore, it finds that stages of party developments are good predictors for behaviours to explain these changes. Conclusively, the strategic behaviours of the SDs are a vital component to understand their rise and a stage- like perspective on party development is a valuable analytical tool to explore the impact of explanatory factors over time. Ultimately, this study innovates the way Populist Radical Right parties are researched from a perspective of agency. Key words: The Sweden Democrats, Populist Radical Right, ideological appeal, programmatic profiles, stages of party development, supply theory Words: 21 998 (excluding footnotes) Table of contents 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 7 1.1 Purpose and research question ..........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Sweden Democrats: Killer of Swedish Exceptionalism
    ECPS Party Profile Series #1 August 2020 AUTHOR: Bulent Kenes The Sweden Democrats: Killer of Swedish Exceptionalism www.populismstudies.org The Sweden Democrats: Killer of Swedish Exceptionalism BY BULENT KENES ABSTRACT Like all liberal democracies, Sweden also faces challenges associated with globalization, international migration, and growing inequality. Despite its reputation as a moral superpower, Sweden is not immune to racism, na- tionalism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and anti-immigrant sentiment. Swe- den Democrats (SD), which originated from an extreme right-wing milieu, represents populist radical-right in Sweden. Since the party had its roots in Swedish fascism and white nationalism, the SD has failed to present a respectable façade so far. BULENT KENES is an academic and a journalist who has over 25 years of professional experience. He has managed multiple publications, both in Turkish and English. ECPS Leader Profile Series offer analyses of political leaders and promi- nent public figures with populist tendencies. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed by the author are only attributable him and not to any institution with which they are associated. The profile available for free downloading from the ECPS website (www. populismstudies.org) ©ECPS 2021 ECPS | 155 Wetstraat, Rue de la loi, 1040 Brussels, Belgium | Tel: (+32) 246 583 18 | www.populismstudies.org Table of contents 1. INTRODUCTION ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5 2. THE SD FOUNDED OVER NEO-NAZI GROUND . 7 3. THE SD HAS BECOME A NEW SHELTER FOR THE WORKING CLASS ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9 4. RACISM & XENOPHOBIA: THE SD’S TWO MAIN CHARACTERISTICS TO HIDE ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 12 5. BETWEEN CULTURAL RACISM AND CARE RACISM . .15 6. IMMIGRANTS: FROM “GUEST WORKERS” TO “FUEL FOR THE SD” .
    [Show full text]