Right-wing populism against diploma democracy. The evolution of parliamentary elites in Austria, Italy, and Switzerland

Are the sociological profiles of radical right-wing populist parties' (RRPPs) representatives really unlike those of their counterparts in mainstream parties? Once RRPPs occupy positions of legislative power for an extended period, do their MPs' profiles increasingly converge with those of more mainstream parties? This paper examines three right-wing parties in Austria, Italy, and Switzerland (FPo, LEGA, and SVP), and shows how RRPPs' MPs persistently contrast the diploma democracy, that is the increasingly dominant high-educated trend in political representation. Inspired by the current scholarship's diachronic and comparative perspectives of political elites and MPs, the analysis focuses trends since the 1980s.

Automated summary

This paper examines three right-wing parties in Austria, Italy, and Switzerland and shows the differences in the sociological profiles of their representatives compared to those from mainstream parties. The study finds that the profiles of right-wing party MPs increasingly converge with those of mainstream party MPs after an extended period of occupying legislative power.