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Debating the Populist Pariah : Changing Party Dynamics and Elite Rhetoric in the Swedish Riksdag

Calvo, Esther LU orcid ; Bäck, Hanna LU orcid and Carroll, Royce (2024) In Political Research Quarterly
Abstract
Radical right populist parties have often been treated as “pariahs,” being excluded from coalition politics in parliamentary democracies. We argue that negative rhetoric targeted at radical right populist parties in legislative debates is used by the established parties to distance themselves from such parties and that the incentives to do so depend on the political context. Using sentiment analysis of speeches in the Swedish Riksdag from 2010 to 2022, we find that rhetoric targeted toward the radical right Sweden Democrats is more negative than speech concerning other parties on average. We also find that this negative rhetoric declined over time, particularly from the center-right parties, as the formerly marginal Sweden Democrats gained... (More)
Radical right populist parties have often been treated as “pariahs,” being excluded from coalition politics in parliamentary democracies. We argue that negative rhetoric targeted at radical right populist parties in legislative debates is used by the established parties to distance themselves from such parties and that the incentives to do so depend on the political context. Using sentiment analysis of speeches in the Swedish Riksdag from 2010 to 2022, we find that rhetoric targeted toward the radical right Sweden Democrats is more negative than speech concerning other parties on average. We also find that this negative rhetoric declined over time, particularly from the center-right parties, as the formerly marginal Sweden Democrats gained more seats and became a potential partner for cooperation. Our analysis demonstrates how tracking parliamentary discourse provides insights into changing party dynamics. Our findings suggest that, as the prospects for populists' pariah status change, rhetoric from established parties reflects this shifting role in party politics, with enduring negativity accompanied by reduced hostility among the center-right parties with the greatest potential for cooperation. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
in
Political Research Quarterly
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:85193413114
ISSN
1938-274X
DOI
10.1177/10659129241253220
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2bf7a24f-6ca9-4ea8-8699-1fe12a3d03ce
date added to LUP
2024-05-15 11:36:07
date last changed
2024-06-14 12:56:55
@article{2bf7a24f-6ca9-4ea8-8699-1fe12a3d03ce,
  abstract     = {{Radical right populist parties have often been treated as “pariahs,” being excluded from coalition politics in parliamentary democracies. We argue that negative rhetoric targeted at radical right populist parties in legislative debates is used by the established parties to distance themselves from such parties and that the incentives to do so depend on the political context. Using sentiment analysis of speeches in the Swedish Riksdag from 2010 to 2022, we find that rhetoric targeted toward the radical right Sweden Democrats is more negative than speech concerning other parties on average. We also find that this negative rhetoric declined over time, particularly from the center-right parties, as the formerly marginal Sweden Democrats gained more seats and became a potential partner for cooperation. Our analysis demonstrates how tracking parliamentary discourse provides insights into changing party dynamics. Our findings suggest that, as the prospects for populists' pariah status change, rhetoric from established parties reflects this shifting role in party politics, with enduring negativity accompanied by reduced hostility among the center-right parties with the greatest potential for cooperation.}},
  author       = {{Calvo, Esther and Bäck, Hanna and Carroll, Royce}},
  issn         = {{1938-274X}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Political Research Quarterly}},
  title        = {{Debating the Populist Pariah : Changing Party Dynamics and Elite Rhetoric in the Swedish Riksdag}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10659129241253220}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/10659129241253220}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}