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Democracy at Risk. The Growth of Nationalism and Extreme Right Parties as Threat to the EU

Democracy at Risk. The Growth of Nationalism and Extreme Right Parties as Threat to the EU

Ewa Rokicka, Jeremy Leaman, Dieter Eißel

Ebook

The book analyses the threats to democracy that are associated with the rise of extreme-right parties and xenophobia in European Union countries. The authors show that the growing distrust towards democratic institutions and the increasing strength of populism and nationalism are connected with persistent inequalities and the malign focus on immigrants as scapegoats for the misery. Case studies from Germany, Great Britain, and Poland examine the details of the anti-democratic movements in these countries. They demonstrate the real threats to democracy and peaceful coexistence, and to the very future of the European project, its principles of solidarity and its political ambitions of convergence through mutual support. The reader will find in the book extensive empirical material outlining the situation in the European Union, along with proposals for solving the region's social, economic and political dilemmas, for reversing the trends of fragmentation and for revitalising Europe's democratic culture.

Preface                7

 

1. Aspects of Democracy             11

1.1. Introduction             11

1.2. Democracy, nationalism and populism         16

Bibliography      24

 

2. The harmful impacts of market dogmatism and austerity policy        25

2.1. From the welfare state to the “competition state”                25

2.2. Greece as a laboratory for austerity policy 26

Bibliography      33

 

3. Rising inequality in Europe   35

3.1. Introduction             35

3.2. Description of inequality in Europe                36

3.3. Causes of the inequality growth      47

3.4. Consequences of increasing inequalities     56

Conclusion         64

Bibliography      65

 

4. EU strategies to combat regional inequality and poverty      69

4.1. Introduction             69

4.2. The objectives of convergence        70

4.3. The goals of EU’s regional funding  72

Bibliography      77

 

5. Better regulation and more democratic culture through the governance concept in the European Union    79

5.1. Introduction             79

5.2. Outdated structures             80

5.3. Complex policy decision-making     82

5.4. The broad meaning of governance from the EU’s perspective         85

5.5. The principle of subsidiarity               87

5.6. Involving civil society            90

5.7. Transparency           92

5.8. The Open Method of Coordination               93

5.9. Better regulation complying with the proportionality principle         95

5.10. “Smart Regulation”: a new strategy of governance             97

5.11. Conclusion              99

Bibliography      100

 

6. The case of Germany: reasons for the growth of “Alternative für Deutschland” (AfD) in the former GDR    103

6.1. Introduction             103

6.2. Failing convergence despite the German system of interstate equalisation              104

6.3. Poor economic conditions in the former GDR           108

6.4. Conclusion 114

Bibliography      117

 

7. Case study UK: populism in Britain – the bitter harvest of financialisation, value-extraction and inequality              119

7.1. Introduction             119

7.2. Britain’s singularity: the blessing and the curse of history   121

7.3. Financialisation and the new hegemony of disorder             130

7.4. Financialisation: politically irresponsible, economically destructive and socially corrosive    131

7.5. The weaponisation of insecurity in British political culture before the 2016 referendum      140

Bibliography      149

 

8. Case Study Poland     153

8.1. Poland and the European Union. Disputes and controversies           153

8.2. Poland and the Copenhagen political criteria            158

8.3. Poland and economic criteria            161

8.4. Poland and volitional criteria             163

8.5. Polexit?       164

Bibliography      168

 

9. Rising xenophobia facing immigration            169

9.1. The challenge           169

9.2. The background of mass immigration to Europe      171

9.3. Emergence of populist right-wing parties   173

9.4. Peaceful multiculturalism at risk      178

9.5. Humane alternatives to risky migration and xenophobia – needed steps to reduce harmful migration        182

Bibliography      189

 

10. What should and could be done to regain democracy          193

 

Bibliography      199

  • Title: Democracy at Risk. The Growth of Nationalism and Extreme Right Parties as Threat to the EU
  • Author: Ewa Rokicka, Jeremy Leaman, Dieter Eißel
  • ISBN: 978-83-822-0017-1, 9788382200171
  • Date of issue: 2020-08-03
  • Format: Ebook
  • Item ID: e_1q3j
  • Publisher: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego