TY - JOUR
T1 - Italy: Immigration and the evolution of populism
AU - Pieroni, Luca
AU - Roig, Melcior Rosselló
AU - Salmasi, Luca
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - We study the effect of immigration on the upsurge of right-wing populism in Italy. Our data considers electoral results at the municipality level of the Senate of the Italian Republic and the Chamber of Deputies over the period 2006–2018. Using an IV strategy based on the shift–share
instrument, we find that immigration generates a sizable causal increase in votes for the right-wing populist party Lega. Immigration also works as a major catalyst for the electoral distance between Lega and its most direct competitors. We explore how different levels of tax autonomy impact the results, as well as how the re-branding of Lega as a national movement affects the relation between immigration and support for the party.
AB - We study the effect of immigration on the upsurge of right-wing populism in Italy. Our data considers electoral results at the municipality level of the Senate of the Italian Republic and the Chamber of Deputies over the period 2006–2018. Using an IV strategy based on the shift–share
instrument, we find that immigration generates a sizable causal increase in votes for the right-wing populist party Lega. Immigration also works as a major catalyst for the electoral distance between Lega and its most direct competitors. We explore how different levels of tax autonomy impact the results, as well as how the re-branding of Lega as a national movement affects the relation between immigration and support for the party.
KW - Immigration, Populism, Italy, Instrumental variables
KW - Immigration, Populism, Italy, Instrumental variables
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/212624
U2 - 10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2022.102260
DO - 10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2022.102260
M3 - Article
SN - 0176-2680
VL - 2023
SP - 1
EP - 25
JO - European Journal of Political Economy
JF - European Journal of Political Economy
ER -