I. Introduction (Falkenbach, Guicciardi, and Moise)
• Current layout of PRR parties - who they are, how they are classified, and why we think a new classification is necessary.
• Difference between Left and Right and why we focus on the Right (see image in original proposal - attachment tab).
• Current layout of PRR parties and their impact on health - who made it into government and a brief overview of the very limited resources available on this topic.
• Policies important to these parties while in government.
o Compare PRR parties’ manifestos to what they actually accomplished.
• Limitations to the definition of health policy.
II. Framework (Falkenbach, Guicciardi, and Moise)
• The development of a new framework to identify PRR parties worldwide
• Placing them on a spectrum (perhaps 2- or even 3-dimensional) - see below example (attachment tab), third-dimension economics could be added.
o Add clientelism and corruption for eastern countries as needed
III. Case Studies – the case studies chosen for this project represent countries that either have or had PRR parties in government and continue to struggle with their electoral strength or have been experiencing a steady increase in support for PRR parties.
• INTRO - Short history of the party, with a focus on the cultural/social background of the country.
§ How did the PRR party develop?
§ What kind of a role did they play in politics and were they accepted by other parties (SD/CD)?
§ Did the party’s tactics change over time, why?
§ Current strength/influence of the party in relation to other parties.
• Reasons why we can consider the party as being PRR – follow conceptual framework.
• POLICY FOCUS - Starting point for policy focus beginning 2000s unless there were influential policies previously passed that still have an impact today.
• List relevant health policies adopted or proposed in the suggested table format.
• CONCLUSION - Impact of the PRR party’s policies, with references to quantitative/qualitative studies.
• Prediction of PRR parties influence in general over the next years - i.e., will they still be in government, why, why not?
• Potential new health policies in the next few years.
• Summary box with the most important 4 or 5 “take-home messages”.
a. Austria – Falkenbach & Heiss
b. Italy - Guicciardi
c. Hungary – Moise & Loblova
d. Poland – Moise & Loblova
e. UK - Jarman
f. USA – Willison
g. Germany – Wacker
h. Netherlands – Bekker & Rinaldi
i. Denmark & Sweden – McManus & Falkenbach TBD
j. Brazil
k. Philippines
l. Switzerland
m. TBD
IV. Conclusion
Tying together the cases with overall findings.
• Health is typically ignored by the PRR, often too controversial.
• If there is a coalition partner (in most cases there will be), they will usually be of a Christian Democratic nature and will usually have more power/say than the PRR that will result in the PRR getting stuck with partially unpopular ministries (other than defense and interior), where they will be forced to make rather unpopular reforms that serve the agenda of the stronger coalition party (CD)
• Highlight possible outcomes.
Michelle Falkenbach, PhD, is a postdoctoral associate in the Cornell public health program at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Michelle works on research projects that think about and build upon a more effective cross-fertilization between health and political science research. Her publications primarily speak to the impact of the Populist Radical Right on health and her research has been published in the International Journal of Health Policy and Management, the European Journal of Public Health and Health Policy and Technology as well as other outlets.
Scott L. Greer, PhD is Professor of Health Management and Policy and Global Public Health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he also holds a courtesy appointment in Political Science, and is a member of the HMP Governance Lab. Additionally, he is Senior Expert Advisor on Health Governance to the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies in Brussels, Belgium. His recent books include the edited Federalism and Social Policy: Patterns of Redistribution in Eleven Democracies (2019), the second edition of Everything you always wanted to know about European Union health policies but were afraid to ask (2019), the edited The European Union after Brexit (2020), The Politics of Ageing and Health (2021), and the edited Coronavirus Politics (2021).
This contributed volume is the first in-depth analysis of the health policies of populist radical right (PRR) parties worldwide and their actual involvement in health care. The prominence of authoritarian, nationalistic, and populist parties is expanding steadily. However, it is often difficult to discern what kind of policies they really stand for, particularly with regard to the welfare state and public health, where research remains sparse. This book fills this critical gap.
The text connects PRR parties and leaders with actual health and social policy effects in Eastern and Western Europe as well as in the United States, Brazil, and the Philippines. The chapters highlight ten individual country case studies authored by young scholars and professors with political science and health experts:
The Austrian Freedom Party in Government: A Threat to Public Health?
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Health Policy: Normalization or Containment of Populist Radical Right Tendencies?
Populist Radical Right Influence on Health Policy in the Netherlands: The Case of the Party for Freedom (PVV)
The Evolution of the Populist Radical Right and Their Impact on Health in Italy
The Populist Radical Right and Health in Hungary
Is the Polish 'Law and Justice' (PiS) a Typical Populist Radical Right Party? A Health Policy Perspective
The Case of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP)
Rhetoric and Reality in the United States of America: Trump, Populism, and Health Policy
Ruling Through Chaos in Brazil: Bolsonaro's Authoritarian Agenda for Public Health
An Authoritarian Reaction to COVID-19 in the Philippines: A Strong Commitment to Universal Health Care Combined with Violent Securitization
The Populist Radical Right and Health is exceptionally timely and essential reading for political science and health colleagues researching and writing about PRR parties and leaders; students and faculty in public health, health and social policy, and political science; and anyone interested in learning more about this topic.