These two terms (or, better, concepts) are often confused. They are often lumped together under the generic, and generally abused, “populism” label. But nativism and populism are quite distinct phenomena. They have different causes, different ways of developing in contemporary Europe, and different kinds of influence on the democratic societies in which they grow. Clearly, then, they call for different political and policy responses from politicians, policy-makers, and other relevant stakeholders in society. This post is a simple endeavor to point out those differences. If you want to read more about them, please check my previous work on this topic here, here, and here. I am currently continuing my work on nativism within the H2020 PaCE research program. And, in a not so remote future as I hope, there will be more to say and write in book form about Europe’s strongly nativist nations.
Exemplary leader cases
Populists
Nativists
From top to bottom: V. Orbán, J. Kaczyński, A. Tsipras, P. Iglesias, A. Papandreou
From top to bettom: M. Le Pen, G. Wilders, M. Salvini, P. Fortuyn
Ten distinctive indicators
1. Geographical locus
Democracies with liberal tradition in Europe and the Americas
Contemporary European states, all of them liberal democracies
2. Ideological stance
Populist parties stand on either left or right
Nativist parties typically stand on the right
3. View of society
Irreconcilably split into just two parts, the ‘people’ and the ‘elites’
A homogenous nation imperilled by alien minorities and cultures
4. Political goals
Aim at radical political change: Promote illiberal democracy
Aim at specific policy changes: Promote liberalism for natives
5. Political methods
Political polarization; patronage politics while in office
Programmatic appeals for gaining certain issue ownership
6. Leadership traits
Charismatic and extraordinary, predominantly male
Ordinary non-charismatic, with good share of female leaders
7. Party organization
Relatively strong and cohesive parties under single leader authority
Weak party organizations; prone to premature death
8. Power capture
Populists have won power in many countries, often singlehandedly
Nativists win office rarely, typically as junior coalition partners
9. Performance in office
Strong staying power with high potential for radical political transformation
Weak staying power with little potential of own policy implementation
10. Core democratic idea
In populism, officials serve voters irrespective of institutions & liberal principles
In nativism, officials use liberal institutions to serve natives while fending off aliens
Mapping notable populism and nativism in Europe
Populist
Nativist
Both (🇮🇹)
