European Vox Radicis: Representation and policy congruence on the extremes

Although ideological congruence is a central component of empirical and normative theory of representation, little is known about congruence between ideologically extreme parties (IEPs) and their supporters or the broader electorate. Moreover, we know even less about whether levels of congruence vary from one extreme to the other, and across dimensions of political contestation.

Our article integrates both left and right poles in the analysis of ideological extremism and inquires about IEPs’ policy congruence with their supporters and the broader electorate. For this purpose, we analyze policy congruence along three ideological dimensions: socioeconomic, sociocultural and pro/anti-European integration. Based on our findings, IEPs are not highly congruent with the broader electorate.

These parties are congruent with their supporters – and this holds especially for those situated on the right-wing pole of the political spectrum. Importantly, IEPs’ congruence scores vary across issue dimensions. Our findings have implications for understanding the function of IEPs in modern democracies and the broader debates on representation and policy congruence.