CHOICE: Recommended

'The book's genuine contribution lies in a broad yet nuanced analysis of the democratic consequences of right-wing radical parties. While most studies in this area focus on one aspect, Minkenberg and Végh examine the effects of RRP [Radical Right Parties] at three different system levels. First, they show that the substantive positions of strong RRPs are permanently adopted by mainstream parties with programmatically close ties (position shifts). The authors then examine the level of policymaking. Here, too, they attest to RRPs' demonstrable influence on the decisions of incumbent governments in the areas of minority, asylum, and migration policy (policy shifts). Finally, they also establish a clear connection between the strength of right-wing radical parties and the decline in the quality of democracy, measured using V-Dem data (polity shift).'
Florian Grotz, Jahrbuch Extremismus & Demokratie (Extremism & Democracy)

'Illiberal tendencies in Eastern Europe have long extended beyond the periphery of the party system in contrast to Western European democracies. The policy positions of many governments there result from political processes shaped by the ultranationalist politics of the radical right, which infiltrated the political mainstream well before continent-wide shocks such as the 2015 migration crisis. From this starting point, Depleting Democracies brings Eastern Europe back onto the map of comparative research, offering a timely and comprehensive analysis of the radical right in seven states. Challenging the dominant party system convergence paradigm, it makes a compelling case for studying the region as distinct [...] an in-depth mosaic approach in analysing contextual factors that influence the trajectory of democratic erosion is much needed at a time when the risk of liberal transitional democracies transforming into authoritarian regimes is real.'
Mila Moshelova, Slavonic and East European Review

'In a widely quoted article from 2003, Reinhard Heinisch reflected on the slim likelihood of right-wing populist parties succeeding when they entered government. Heinisch argued, at the time, that the populism of these parties explains their success whilst in opposition but leads to insurmountable difficulties when elected to public office. Today’s politics seems to have proved him wrong. In Central and Eastern Europe particularly, right-wing radical populist parties have not only emerged as serious contenders for political power but are in government or collaborating with incumbent governments, gaining significant influence over policy. Michael Minkenberg and Zsuzsanna Végh’s book, Depleting Democracies: Radical Right Impact on Parties, Policies, and Polities in Eastern Europe, is an elegant, thorough and detailed study of that influence.'
Michel Vincent Anderlini, Europe-Asia Studies

'The authors’ focus on the interaction between the radical right and mainstream parties is particularly welcomed in the context of eastern Europe, where the influence of the radical right on mainstream parties’ positions and policymaking has been largely void of comparative, in-depth analyses... This book will be valuable to both scholars and policymakers who are interested in the role radical right actors play in east European EU member states.'
Vanja Petricevic, Slavic Review

Michael Minkenberg is Professor emeritus and Senior Scholar at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)

Zsuzsanna Végh is a political analyst at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and an associate researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations

Introduction
1 Conceptualizing the radical right and its impact: from politics to policies to polity
2 Cases and contexts: countries and parties, culture and politics
3 Position shifts: radical right impact on mainstream parties
4 Policy shifts: radical right impact on policies regarding minority and asylum issues
5 Polity shifts: the radical right and democratic quality in the region
Conclusion
Appendix
Index