{"id":{"repo_id":"cambridge","oai_identifier":"oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/318117"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cambridge/oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/318117","repository":{"repo_id":"cambridge","name":"Cambridge University","base_url":"https://api.repository.cam.ac.uk/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"From Economic Neoliberalism to Economic Nationalism: Ideational Change in the Economic Programme of the Austrian Freedom Party 1956-2017","abstract":"In recent years, the far-right nationalist Austrian Freedom Party, much like other far-right parties, has undergone a shift in their economic programme from relative economic openness to ideas of renationalising industries, disenfranchising multinational corporations, and restricting international financial market exchange. Prevailing accounts predominantly focus on the nationalist and nativist nature of far-right parties due to their perceived threat to the foundations of liberal democracies. These accounts therefore grappled with explaining the far right´s electoral success. The categorisation of ‘far right’ thus led to a black-boxing of the role, content, and change of the far right´s economic ideas, neglecting their importance in legitimising the far right´s nationalist and nativist core. This thesis explores how the Austrian Freedom Party, which once presented the beacon of neoliberal economic ideas and was instrumental to the implementation of the neoliberal economic policy paradigm in Austria, has shifted to criticise its own legacy. Drawing from insights of constructivist accounts, I trace the evolution of the Austrian Freedom Party´s economic discourse from its foundation in 1956 until their governmental participation in 2017. Guided by the question of how specific sets of economic ideas become dominant, I make the case that the Austrian Freedom Party´s economic ideas are central to legitimising, framing, and narrating their far-right nationalist agenda. The in-depth analysis of the Austrian Freedom Party´s economic discourse sheds new light on the way in which far-right parties´ cultural and nationalist positions are closely intertwined with economic ideas that reflect and mediate the political economic institutional context. This challenges dominant accounts describing a cultural backlash against cosmopolitanism and multiculturalism in explaining the rise of the far right. This thesis thereby contributes to literature identifying voters´ economic insecurities as major cause for the rise of the far right by showing how far-right politicians discursively engage with voters´ perceived socio-economic insecurities.","abstract_html":"In recent years, the far-right nationalist Austrian Freedom Party, much like other far-right parties, has undergone a shift in their economic programme from relative economic openness to ideas of renationalising industries, disenfranchising multinational corporations, and restricting international financial market exchange. Prevailing accounts predominantly focus on the nationalist and nativist nature of far-right parties due to their perceived threat to the foundations of liberal democracies. These accounts therefore grappled with explaining the far right´s electoral success. The categorisation of ‘far right’ thus led to a black-boxing of the role, content, and change of the far right´s economic ideas, neglecting their importance in legitimising the far right´s nationalist and nativist core. This thesis explores how the Austrian Freedom Party, which once presented the beacon of neoliberal economic ideas and was instrumental to the implementation of the neoliberal economic policy paradigm in Austria, has shifted to criticise its own legacy. Drawing from insights of constructivist accounts, I trace the evolution of the Austrian Freedom Party´s economic discourse from its foundation in 1956 until their governmental participation in 2017. Guided by the question of how specific sets of economic ideas become dominant, I make the case that the Austrian Freedom Party´s economic ideas are central to legitimising, framing, and narrating their far-right nationalist agenda. The in-depth analysis of the Austrian Freedom Party´s economic discourse sheds new light on the way in which far-right parties´ cultural and nationalist positions are closely intertwined with economic ideas that reflect and mediate the political economic institutional context. This challenges dominant accounts describing a cultural backlash against cosmopolitanism and multiculturalism in explaining the rise of the far right. This thesis thereby contributes to literature identifying voters´ economic insecurities as major cause for the rise of the far right by showing how far-right politicians discursively engage with voters´ perceived socio-economic insecurities.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Ausserladscheider, Valentina"],"institution":"University of Cambridge","degree_name":null,"degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Miley, Thomas Jeffrey"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-09-26","date_published":"2020-09-26","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:04Z","subjects":["Far right","Political discourse","Policy paradigms","Constructivism","Cultural backlash","Economic insecurities","Single case study"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/08829b5f-4768-4cfe-a2ef-d5c6ce009788/download","https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.65232","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.doi"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Miley, Thomas Jeffrey"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.sponsor","label":"Sponsor","values":["Cambridge Political Economy Trust & Funds for Graduate Women"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Ausserladscheider, Valentina"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2020-09-26"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Cambridge"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby.uri","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby URI","values":["https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/318117"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Doctoral"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Far right","Political discourse","Policy paradigms","Constructivism","Cultural backlash","Economic insecurities","Single case study"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/08829b5f-4768-4cfe-a2ef-d5c6ce009788/download","https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"]},{"key":"dc:rights.embargotype","label":"Dc Rights Embargotype","values":["controlled.access"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["10.17863/CAM.65232"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/ee73e57a-928e-479f-9999-d5564288fdcf/download"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In recent years, the far-right nationalist Austrian Freedom Party, much like other far-right parties, has undergone a shift in their economic programme from relative economic openness to ideas of renationalising industries, disenfranchising multinational corporations, and restricting international financial market exchange. Prevailing accounts predominantly focus on the nationalist and nativist nature of far-right parties due to their perceived threat to the foundations of liberal democracies. These accounts therefore grappled with explaining the far right´s electoral success. The categorisation of ‘far right’ thus led to a black-boxing of the role, content, and change of the far right´s economic ideas, neglecting their importance in legitimising the far right´s nationalist and nativist core. This thesis explores how the Austrian Freedom Party, which once presented the beacon of neoliberal economic ideas and was instrumental to the implementation of the neoliberal economic policy paradigm in Austria, has shifted to criticise its own legacy. Drawing from insights of constructivist accounts, I trace the evolution of the Austrian Freedom Party´s economic discourse from its foundation in 1956 until their governmental participation in 2017. Guided by the question of how specific sets of economic ideas become dominant, I make the case that the Austrian Freedom Party´s economic ideas are central to legitimising, framing, and narrating their far-right nationalist agenda. The in-depth analysis of the Austrian Freedom Party´s economic discourse sheds new light on the way in which far-right parties´ cultural and nationalist positions are closely intertwined with economic ideas that reflect and mediate the political economic institutional context. This challenges dominant accounts describing a cultural backlash against cosmopolitanism and multiculturalism in explaining the rise of the far right. 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Prevailing accounts predominantly focus on the nationalist and nativist nature of far-right parties due to their perceived threat to the foundations of liberal democracies. These accounts therefore grappled with explaining the far right´s electoral success. The categorisation of ‘far right’ thus led to a black-boxing of the role, content, and change of the far right´s economic ideas, neglecting their importance in legitimising the far right´s nationalist and nativist core. This thesis explores how the Austrian Freedom Party, which once presented the beacon of neoliberal economic ideas and was instrumental to the implementation of the neoliberal economic policy paradigm in Austria, has shifted to criticise its own legacy. Drawing from insights of constructivist accounts, I trace the evolution of the Austrian Freedom Party´s economic discourse from its foundation in 1956 until their governmental participation in 2017. 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