Why have we seen such a dramatic rise of radical-right parties recently, and what have the consequences been? This dissertation traces the three main stages of the rising radical- right: first, how have they been succeeding in elections? Second, after winning election, why is their participation in government coalitions becoming more common? And third, what have the substantive effects of this government participation been on the quality and stability of liberal democracy?I begin by examining the dynamics of the radical-right’s electoral success in relation to the rising trend of publicly funding electoral campaigns at the national level. While public financing is often thought of as a way to “level the playing field” of elections, I argue that such policies have had unintended second-order consequences by disproportionately aiding the rise radical-right parties. I further demonstrate that this public funding policy severs the tie of radical-right performance to economic growth. This is a counter-intuitive result, as public campaign finance is often considered a priority of the left to restore power to the majority, and yet, it seems to aid those on the right fringes of the political spectrum.Given this increased electoral success, chapter two investigates why these parties have found themselves in more and more governing coalitions recently. Until now, the literature was without a succinct explanation for why this is occurring—instead characterizing the trend as “politics as usual.” I develop a new theory characterizing such moves as the co- optation of a growing political rival in an effort to minimize electoral threat. That is, as the radical platform rises in salience, and radical parties are more threatening to the electoral success of a moderate party, they will invite the party into their government, thereby staving off said threat.Finally, I look at the impacts of said coalitions on liberal democracy. While many argue radical-right parties to be one of the largest contemporary threats to democracy, the evidence remains largely anecdotal. I empirically demonstrate that the implications of a growing radical-right are far more severe than previously assumed. Besides being the source of a potential for democratic breakdown when they take power, radical-right parties bring with them real decreases in the level of liberal democracy not only when holding executive control, but also as they merely participate in government coalitions. The specific effects differ depending on the type of power held. When holding the prime ministership, we see significant deteriorations to both institutional constraints on the executive and mass civil liberties. When limited to junior coalition-partner status, we only see the latter affected.Overall, this dissertation aims to trace the three stages of the rising radical-right phenomenon. It begins with a study on how they win elections, moves to an analysis of their entrance into ruling coalitions, and ends with an investigation of the effects of this rise on liberal democracy.
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