The Uprising of Xenophobic Populist Parties and the Reinforcement of Institutional Discrimination

The uprising of the Xenophobic Populist Party (XPP) since the 1980s has been a new phenomenon in post-World War II European liberal democracies that has increasingly engaged many social scientists in debate concerning the reasons for the uprising of such parties. There are several scientifi c approaches to why these parties have emerged as a ‘challenge to European democracies.’ Some argue that rising unemployment is a reason behind XPPs’ success (see Jackman & Volpert, 1996) and others claim the decline in welfare state policies is the main reason (Eatwell & Mudde, 2004; Mudde, 2007; among others).