Constructing a neoliberal exclusionary state: the role of far-right populism in economic policy change in post-war Austria

How and to what extent does far-right populism impact the nation-specific implementation of neoliberal policymaking? While scholarship convincingly demonstrated the importance of ideas and the political agents propagating neoliberal ideas in policy paradigmatic shifts, there is little investigation of the role that far-right
populists play in economic policy change. Exploring the ideational power and
impact of far-right populism in neoliberal policymaking provides an important
insight into how neoliberal political economies enact nationalist cultural exclusion.
The paper traces the process through which the Austrian Freedom Party’s ideational
trajectory evolved in post-war Austria and how it impacted the political mainstream.
The analysis draws from the party’s discourse in manifestos, interviews, and other
publications in the period 1956–2006. The results show how the specific far-right
populist actor, the Austrian Freedom Party, played a significant role in rendering
neoliberal ideas viable as policy option early on and ultimately constructing the neoliberal exclusionary state. By empirically showcasing how political actors from the
fringes of the political spectrum can impact economic policy change, this presents
an important contribution to the study of paradigm shifts, which predominantly
focused on major national political actors. In light of the recent rise of far-right populism in Europe and beyond, this raises important questions for the continuity and
change of the global paradigmatic dominance of neoliberalism.