Integration Without Acceptance: Examining the Role of Radical
Right Political Parties’ Electoral Success and Rhetoric on the
Extent of Immigrant Integration in Germany and Sweden
Abstract:
In the past three decades immigration and immigrant integration have become increasingly politicized issues in Western Europe. Simultaneously the rise of far right parties have significantly altered the political landscape. This study enhances the understanding of the relationship between far right parties and the potential extent of immigrant integration. It uses the cases of Sweden, primarily focusing on the role of the Sweden Democrat party and Germany, focusing on the Alternative für Deutschland. I use process tracing, a qualitative research method, to identify the maximal causal analysis between the presence of far right parties measures through their electoral success and use of anti-immigrant, xenophobic, and anti-multiculturalism rhetoric to determine if there were any shifts in integration policy that would affect the potential extent of immigrant integration. To measure shifts in integration I primarily use MIPEX which identifies shifts in integration in eight areas of policy indicators. Additionally, there is an examination of narratives of national identity, immigration policy history, and the role of the center right in government. These allow for an informed examination of current policies and their shifts and shifting narratives of national-identity. My findings suggest that integration policies are not significantly altered by the electoral popularity or hardline rhetoric of far right parties. However, recent success could disrupt this trend as center-right parties are under increasing pressure to moderate their stances of integration to appeal to their electorate. There seems to be a difference between a party’s popularity and their access to power, which seems to have more of an effect on integration policies. This is significant because it develops a clearer picture of the increasing importance of far right parties in the European political landscape as they continue to reach new heights of electoral success. It also develops a clearer understanding of the effect of their rhetoric on integration policy, which shapes the ways in which migrants can participate in their society. Overall, it demonstrates that the far right’s influence on integration policy remains more limited than it may typically be considered.