Restrained Radicals

Fred Paxton is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Milan. He was awarded his Ph.D. at the European University Institute. His work has been published in various academic journals including Political Science Research and Methods and Government and Opposition. This is his first academic monograph.

• 1. Introduction; 2. Going local: understanding the impact of the populist radical right in local government; 3. The entry of populist radical right parties into local power; 4. Do they make a difference? The policy impact of populist radical right parties in local power; 5. Mainstreaming: the impact of local power on the discourse of populist radical right parties; 6. Laboratories or showcases? Explaining the varied forms of local government under populist radical right mayors; 7. Conclusion; References; Appendices; Index.

'Fred Paxton's nuanced analyses not only show that policy-making is a performative activity for the populist radical right, but also demonstrate that local politics is often a testing-ground for national parties to try out strategies and alliances.' Sarah de Lange, Department of Political Science, University of Amsterdam