The Populist Performance of Urban Crisis

The Populist Performance of Urban Crisis A study of populist radical right leadership of local government in Austria and Italy Fred Paxton Erasmus Mundus Master Course in Urban Studies [4Cities] Supervisors: Prof. Hans Blotevogel and Ramon Bauer Second Reader: Dr. Nick Schuermans 25 August 2017 The Populist Performance of Urban Crisis: A study of populist radical right leadership of local government in Austria and Italy Fred Paxton Erasmus Mundus Master Course in Urban Studies [4Cities] Supervisors: Prof. Hans Blotevogel and Ramon Bauer. Second Reader: Dr. Nick Schuermans 25 August 2017 Abstract The influence of populist radical right (hereafter PRR) parties when in local government power is an under-researched area, with only a few examples having focused on the sub-national level. This master thesis uses the conception of populism as a performative style to analyse the exercise of power by PRR parties in two case studies, for the first time, in local government. The political salience of the policy area of urban security is demonstrated through an initial contextual analysis, theoretically grounded in the concept of ontological security. Analysing the security policy of the PRR-led local governments in these cities, through semi-structured expert interviews and document analysis, the theory of a populist performance of crisis (Moffitt, 2015) is then demonstrated in parallel across both. In addition, the process-tracing approach is used to infer a relationship between the performance of a sense of crisis and the discursive creation of a new form of public order. The conception of public order emphasised in the PRR governing practice is found to be one overwhelmingly negatively defined – that is, in conceiving of urban disorder – grounded in the intensification of contemporary fears of security, and demanding diverse forms of exclusion for an ‘othered’ resident group. Exploring the variations between two cases in Austria and Italy, in terms of popular consensus (a cultural approach) and government autonomy (taking a structural approach), this thesis tests the hypothesis that a relationship exists between the legitimacy held by PRR-led governments and the form of urban disorder being discursively created. Finding the form and outcomes of the performance of crisis by these ideologically motivated local governments depends on the particular urban conditions and resulting legitimacy, this study suggests an outline of an adapted theory of a populist radical right performance of urban crisis, and signposts future research directions on the subject. Keywords: populism; local government; urban security; far-right politics. Populist Radical Right-Led Local Governments in Austria and Italy 3 Table of Contents PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 5 LIST OF FIGURES 7 1. INTRODUCTION 9 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 11 2.1 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RADICAL RIGHT POPULISM AND CRISIS 11 2.2 THE CONTEMPORARY SALIENCE OF URBAN SECURITY 12 2.3 LEGITIMACY, AND THE IMPACT MADE BY POPULIST RADICAL RIGHT EXECUTIVE POWER 15 3. METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH 19 3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN 19 3.2 COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY APPROACH 21 3.3 METHODS USED 23 4. URBAN SECURITY: A SALIENT ISSUE 28 4.1 THE ELECTION OF THE POPULIST RADICAL RIGHT 28 4.2 CHANGING URBAN ENVIRONMENTS, RISING INSECURITY 36 4.2.1 ECONOMIC CHANGES: LOSERS OF GLOBALISATION? 36 4.2.2 DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES: DIVERSITY AND URBANITY 41 4.2.3 CHANGES IN THE LEVELS OF CRIME, AND THE FEAR OF CRIME 49 4.3 LOCAL POLITICAL CULTURES, AND PREVIOUS MAINSTREAM RESPONSES TO URBAN INSECURITY 52 4.3.1 WELS: OPPOSING PERCEPTIONS OF INSECURITY 52 4.3.2 PADUA: FOUNDATIONS OF EXCLUSIONARY SECURITY MEASURES 54 4.3.3 URBAN SECURITY: PATHWAYS TO ISSUE SALIENCE 55 5. THE PERFORMANCE OF CRISIS 57 5.1 THE POPULIST PERFORMANCE OF A LOCAL SECURITY CRISIS 58 5.1.1 IDENTIFICATION OF FAILURE 58 4 Fred Paxton 5.1.2 ELEVATION TO THE LEVEL OF CRISIS 60 5.1.3 FRAMING OF ‘US VS. THEM’ 63 5.1.4 PROPAGATION THROUGH THE MEDIA 66 5.1.5 PRESENTATION OF SIMPLE SOLUTIONS AND STRONG LEADERSHIP 68 5.1.6 CONTINUED PROPAGATION OF CRISIS 70 5.2 CRISIS POLITICS AS USUAL? ASSESSING AN ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESIS 72 6. THE CONSTRUCTION OF URBAN (DIS)ORDER 74 6.1 THE FORMS OF PUBLIC (DIS)ORDER UNDER DISCURSIVE CONSTRUCTION 75 6.1.1 DISORDER: CONNECTING MIGRANTS WITH URBAN THREAT 76 6.1.2 ETHNOCENTRIC URBAN ORDER 81 6.2 CONTRASTING CONTEXTS: LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY AS A FACTOR MODERATING THE NEW CONSTRUCTION OF PUBLIC ORDER 84 6.3 A RE-POLITICISED CITY: DISCUSSION AND THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENT 88 7. CONCLUSION 92 8. BIBLIOGRAPHY 97 9. APPENDICES 107 9.1 APPENDIX A: GUIDE FOR SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS 107 9.2 APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS 109 9.2.1 PROFESSOR OF URBAN GOVERNANCE, VIENNA UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS 109 9.2.2 RESEARCHER, DOCUMENTATION CENTRE OF AUSTRIAN RESISTANCE 117 9.2.3 RESEARCHERS, WELS INITIATIVE AGAINST FASCISM 125 9.2.4 CURRENT MAYOR OF WELS 143 9.2.5 COUNCILLOR FROM WELS OPPOSITION PARTY 148 9.2.6 CURRENT EMPLOYEE OF WELS CITY ADMINISTRATION 154 9.2.7 PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF PADUA 155 9.2.8 PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF PADUA 162 9.2.9 JOURNALIST, CORRIERE DEL VENETO 167 9.2.10 PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MILAN 174 9.2.11 PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MILANO-BICOCCA 178 9.2.12 FORMER MAYORAL SPOKESMAN, PADUA 187 9.2.13 FORMER EXECUTIVE OF PADUA CITY ADMINISTRATION 193 Populist Radical Right-Led Local Governments in Austria and Italy 5 Preface and Acknowledgments I began writing this thesis in Vienna in early 2016, apprehensive about the approaching Austrian Presidential Election, and the very real possibility of a far-right victory. While that fear was eventually dispelled, the following year and a half produced recurrent trepidation ahead of the next possible electoral shock and the implications for our ever- shifting understanding of contemporary society. The feeling of a dystopian storm building, was, I felt at the time, not matched by close enough attention to the already existing manifestations of such change in Europe. I felt compelled to find out more. The breadth of perspectives offered by an interdisciplinary course offered many, many ways in which to conduct an investigation of urban contexts in which radical right populism had already gained political power. I wanted to produce something which revealed genuine, specific insights into these cities. I began this work believing that people are profoundly shaped by their immediate environment and politico-cultural milieu, and that these are endlessly, deeply distinctive. The fascination and significance of the local has been a consistently motivating force as I’ve followed my nose down paths of interest, reassuring me: there are insights to be revealed here, and they matter. I would like to express my gratitude to Ramon Bauer for all of his careful guidance and motivation throughout the period as my supervisor, as well as other 4 Cities tutors, Rosa de la Fuente, Nick Schuermans, Yvonne Franz and Hans Blotevogel for many varied and useful discussions and advice. Attending a workshop at the ECPR Joint Sessions at the University of Nottingham in March 2017 had a great impact on my research, for which I would like to thank my fellow participants: Georg Wenzelburger, David Laycock, Marcella Myers, Sofia Tipaldou, Benjamin Biard, Robert Sata, Emilia Zankina and Juliana Chueri. I would also like to thank Clara Rindler-Schantl, Paolo 6 Fred Paxton Giardullo, Irene Bianchi and Ruggero Cefalo for introducing me to the case study cities and providing valuable signposting and contacts; and special thanks to Veronica Conte for her assistance throughout the research process, not least the help with translation and an interview in Padua conducted in Italian. I would of course like to also thank all the interview participants for their essential contributions. As always, I’m very grateful to my parents, my friends, my family; I hope I’ve said thank you for your support as much as it’s been deserved, and that you might now enjoy the results. Fred Paxton Florence, 25 August 2017 Populist Radical Right-Led Local Governments in Austria and Italy 7 List of Figures Figure 1: Theoretical framework of study ...................................................................... 20 Figure 2: Outline of research design. .............................................................................. 23 Figure 3: Source material for political and policy analysis of PRR-led local governments in Wels and Padua. .................................................................................... 25 Figure 4: List of interviews conducted. .......................................................................... 27 Figure 5: Wels mayoral and council elections 2015, rounds one and two. .................... 32 Figure 6: Wels council and administrative board, following 2015 election. .................. 32 Figure 7: Padua mayoral and council elections 2014, rounds one and two. ................... 33 Figure 8: Padua council, following 2014 election. ......................................................... 33 Figure 9: Electoral performance of FPÖ at different scales, 1990-2017 ........................ 34 Figure 10: Electoral performance of Lega Nord at different scales, 1990-2017 ............ 34 Figure 11: Party leadership of Padua and Wels local government, 1945-2017. ............ 35 Figure 12: Regional Competitiveness Index 2016, highlighting Veneto and Upper Austria. ..........................................................................................................................

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