Migrating Extremists

Christian Ochsner and Felix Roesel

The Economic Journal, 2020, vol. 130, issue 628, 1135-1172

Abstract: We show that migrating extremists can shape political equilibria in the long run. Regions in Austria that witnessed an influx of Nazis fleeing the Soviets after WWII still have significantly higher far-right vote shares today. Institutions and family ties perpetuate persistence. Migrated Nazi elites founded and penetrated local party branches that cultivate and preserve far-right ideologies, even when outside conditions temporarily change. Phonebook entries from 1942 allow tracing current far-right party membership back to past migration. Our results suggest that controlling migrating extremists is crucial to contain the spread of radical movements.

Date: 2020
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Working Paper: Migrating Extremists (2016)
Working Paper: Migrating Extremists (2016)
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