Overview
The main area of sustained populist growth in recent decades has been Western Europe, where populist parties have not only endured longer than expected but have increasingly begun to enter government. Focusing on three high-profile cases in Italy and Switzerland – the Popolo della Libertà (PDL), Lega Nord (LN) and Schweizerische Volkspartei (SVP) – Populists in Power is the first in-depth comparative study to examine whether these parties are indeed doomed to failure in office as many commentators have claimed.
The findings run contrary to much of the received wisdom. Based on extensive original research and fieldwork, they show that populist parties can be built to last, can achieve key policy victories and can survive the experience of government, without losing the support of either the voters or those within their parties.
Praise & Reviews
“This book represents a key development in the study of European populism, showing through rigorous research that populism in power is not what many expect it to be. As populism grows and develops in Europe, this book advances our knowledge in ways that challenge conventional understanding and allows us to make sense of the growing realities of populists in power” — Paul Taggart, University of Sussex.
“Albertazzi and McDonnell do an excellent job in presenting the ideologies, organizational models and recent experiences in power of the most important Italian and Swiss populist parties. The findings of this timely analysis of populists in power make an important contribution to the study of West European party systems” — Hanspeter Kriesi, European University Institute, Florence.
“When mainstream parties can’t prevent their populist rivals doing well in elections they can always take comfort in the fact that, if they ever do so well that they get into government, they’re bound to make a mess of things, right? Wrong. In this fascinating book, McDonnell and Albertazzi take a look at all the available evidence – a good deal of which they themselves have gathered – and give the lie to this common and all-too-convenient wisdom” — Tim Bale, Queen Mary University of London.
“Albertazzi and McDonnell challenge the conventional wisdom that populist (right-wing) parties in Europe are marginal actors that cannot govern effectively if they are included in a government, inevitably lose vote share after they are in government, and cannot deliver on their key programmatic promises…The book is written accessibly enough for advanced undergraduates.” — Robin Kolodny, Temple University, CHOICE
“This is the first study that examines in-depth how representatives and members of the populist parties assess the experiences of their parties in government […] Populists in Power is a must-read for everyone interested in the political prospects of populist parties.” — Tjitske Akkerman, University of Amsterdam, in E-Extreme.
“Populists in Power constitutes a very timely contribution to the literature. Albertazzi and McDonnell convincingly challenge the conventional wisdom that populist parties cannot live up to their promises in office or consolidate their electoral support afterwards” – Stijn van Kessel, Party Politics.
“Populists in Power is indeed a pioneering and valuable contribution to our understanding of contemporary populism” – Toygar Sinan Baykan, Political Studies Review.
“This study is refreshing because it is based on innovative fieldwork and goes beyond the clichés which still shape appraisals of European populism in parts of the media and much of academia” – Tom Gallagher, International Affairs.
“Going against widespread tendency to avoid in-depth fieldwork where (populist) party organisations are concerned, Albertazzi and McDonnell show the potential and heuristic utility of such methods” – Oscar Mazzoleni, Swiss Political Science Review.
“Albertazzi and McDonnell’s book is a valuable piece of research. Their accurate empirical research shows beyond any doubt that the widely held perception that populist parties are intrinsically incapable of governing must be rejected” – Filippo Tronconi, Contemporary Italian Politics.