Breaching the social contract: Why the success of Golden Dawn in Greece points to a crisis of democratic representation

Golden Dawn made large gains in the May 2012 Greek elections and has largely maintained this position in the three Greek elections held since, making it one of the most electorally successful far-right parties in Europe. But what lies behind this success? By comparing the political situation in Greece with that of Spain and Portugal, Daphne Halikiopoulou and Sofia Vasilopoulou demonstrate how support for the far-right is not only driven by the Greek economic crisis, but also relates to the breakdown of political trust, good governance and the perceived efficacy of the state.

This is a shortened version of a longer article 'Breaching the Social Contract: Crises of Democratic Representation and Patterns of Extreme Right Party Support (Government and Opposition, Vol.53, No.1, January 2018,p26-50)

The Conversation, 17.08.18: Golden Dawn: how the Greek far right wrote the playbook others now use to go mainstream https://theconversation.com/golden-dawn-how-the-greek-far-right-wrote-the-playbook-others-now-use-to-go-mainstream-100987

Government and Opposition, Vol.53, No.1, January 2018: Breaching the Social Contract: Crises of Democratic Representation and Patterns of Extreme Right Party Support https://doi.org/10.1017/gov.2015.43

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