PhD thesis defence by Tarek Jaziri-Arjona
The electoral rise of radical-right parties involves a process of political normalization. Existing explanations have largely focused on top-down mechanisms, yet these accounts tell us little about the micro-level social processes through which political norms actually change. This dissertation examines the micro-level dynamics of political norm change, addressing the question: What social mechanisms drive the normalization of radical-right parties?
The dissertation makes three primary contributions. First, using surveys and electoral data from Spain's 2019 general elections, I demonstrate that norm-breaking behavior is stratified by socioeconomic status. Higher-income individuals were significantly more likely to express early support for a stigmatized radical-right party, while lower-income voters faced greater social desirability constraints. Second, leveraging mobility data tracking movement between Spanish provinces, I show that short-term mobility serves as a crucial mechanism for political norm diffusion. Contact between regions with different normative environments leads to convergence in political attitudes, with travelers acting as "norm entrepreneurs." Third, examining cases from the US, Netherlands and Germany, I demonstrate how cross-class social ties buffer against the politically radicalizing effects of economic threats. Citizens in homogeneous lower-class networks respond to economic insecurity by supporting far-right parties, while those with tertiary-educated ties show no such response.
This research suggests that political norm change operates through previously underexplored social mechanisms rooted in everyday interactions and economic stratification. Rather than being driven by the economically marginalized, norm violations appear to originate with privileged actors who face fewer social costs for expressing controversial views. The identification of mobility-driven diffusion processes and the moderating role of cross-class networks contributes to our understanding of additional factors that affect the change of political norms. These findings offer insights for those who seek to understand the conditions under which radical political movements gain traction in democratic societies.
Tarek Jaziri Arjona is a PhD candidate at the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the EUI and a researcher at More in Common. His research focuses on political behavior, political norms, and the dynamics of the far right in Europe, exploring how its rise is shaped by social ties. He also studies the interplay between women's political representation, norms, and behavior, as well as the political integration of immigrants. His methodological approach centers on quantitative methods and causal inference.