The Rise Of Right-wing Populist Parties And The Evolution Of Immigration Policy In The Nordic Countries

The Nordic region has relatively special economic and social development,which has attracted a large number of international immigrants by the "from cradle to grave" welfare system.The continuous rise of right-wing populist parties in the Nordic countries has not only had a major impact on the political structure of Nordic parties,but has also had an increasingly significant impact on the government policies of the Nordic countries,even moving from the fringes of the political arena to the mainstream.Right-wing populists define "the people" as a culturally homogeneous mass of people,while "others" usually refer to ethnic minorities represented by immigrants,whose existence is believed to be the expense of the interests of "the people".Right-wing populists in Europe are nationalists who oppose multiculturalism and the flow of immigrants.This thesis mainly analyzes the relationship between right-wing populist parties and immigration politics from two aspects:issues and party politics.The prominence of immigration issues is an important factor in the rise of right-wing populist parties,and right-wing populist parties also regard anti-immigration issues as an important ideology of the party to participate in political party competition.Facing the rise of right-wing populist parties and the prominence of immigration issues,mainstream political parties have also adopted corresponding strategic choices.The leading right-wing populist parties in Northern Europe include the Sweden Democrats,the Danish People’s Party,the Norwegian Progress Party and the Finns Party.Mainstream parties have responded differently to the onslaught of right-wing populist parties.Before the Sweden Democratic Party entered the parliament,the mainstream political parties successfully established a strict political defense line against it.However,as the influence of the Sweden Democratic Party continued to grow,the mainstream political parties had to adjust their stance on immigration.The Danish People’s Party had been accepted by the mainstream political parties from the very beginning,and the immigration policy was revised and formulated by the Danish People’s Party.After 2019,the mainstream political parties have absorbed the anti-immigration stance of the People’s Party,which to a certain extent caused the party to lose its unique strengths and roles in Danish political parties.In Norway,the Progressive Party is regarded as a legitimate member of the Norwegian political map due to its moderate stance.The party’s success came from avoiding extremes while pushing Norway’s immigration policy towards a stricter direction.Similar to Sweden,Finland’s mainstream parties established a political defense against right-wing populist parties.However,with the rise of the Finns Party in 2011,mainstream parties began to adjust this policy.In 2015,the Finns Party joined the coalition government and translated its immigration policy plans into government policy.Through the analysis,it could be seen that the right-wing populist parties in the Nordic countries have further politicized the immigration issue,guided public opinion in the competition between parties,gained higher and higher support rates in elections,and finally successfully entered the mainstream and influenced immigration policies.Faced with the impact of right-wing populist parties,mainstream political parties have to change their immigration stance,shifting their stance towards the center or even more right on the immigration issue.Finally,there are certain differences in the ways in which right-wing populist parties influence immigration policies in Sweden,Denmark,Norway,and Finland.