SPS Seminar series: Catherine De Vries, Bocconi University - Public Service Deprivation and the Rise of Populism in Europe

Seminars - Department seminars
12:45pm - 2:00pm
3.B3.SR01

In this presentation, I examine how public service deprivation fuels the rise of far-right parties in contemporary Europe. I argue that reduced access to essential services helps explain why some regions become enduring strongholds of far-right and populist support. Drawing on evidence from multiple European countries, I demonstrate that areas marked by long-term disinvestment in services and infrastructure are more susceptible to political discontent and radical voting behavior. These effects emerge from the interaction of demand- and supply-side mechanisms: citizens interpret declining provision through zero-sum perceptions of resource competition, while far-right parties strategically attribute service erosion to immigration and elite neglect. The analysis highlights how spatial inequality and state retreat jointly structure the electoral geography of the far right in Europe today.