Decisions on the Ground

Abstract

Abstract This chapter further supports the book’s argument by relying on an experimental survey approach to demonstrate the impact of left party centrist shifts on party alignment dynamics in Hungary. The chapter describes the results of experimental surveys conducted in Hungary, where some respondents were told that left parties embraced pro-market policies. These respondents said that they would choose the populist right in the next election, as long as these parties promised greater social protection. Those effects were more pronounced among working-class respondents. Without these economic promises, the anti-immigrant, nativist appeals from the populist right were not enough to cause these voters to shift their support to the populist right. The results of these experiments highlight the important role that economic insecurities play in promoting support for populist right parties. These findings are then interpreted through the book’s central hypothesis: that the left parties' embrace of neoliberal policies pushed the traditional left’s constituencies to the right side of the political spectrum, contributing to the successes of populist right parties.