Regional unemployment, welfare state and the rise of populism in European Union regions

Antonis Adam and Stamatia Ftergioti

Regional Studies, 2025, vol. 59, issue 1, 2500398

Abstract: This paper explores the effect of economic insecurity, proxied by the unemployment rate, on the rise of populism across European Union regions, accounting for differences between left- and right-wing populist parties. We employ a meso-level analysis across NUTS-2 regions in the EU-27 and UK, covering all national elections from 2000 to 2018. The findings indicate that (1) higher unemployment in a region is associated with higher electoral support for left-wing populist parties in that region; and (2) that this effect is more pronounced in countries with less generous welfare states.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2025.2500398

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