Europaparlamentets skeptiska högerkant : En jämförande innehållsanalys av Sverigedemokraterna och Vox syn på internationell handelspolitik

Sammanfattning: Are the populist right-wing parties in the European Parliament coherent enough to form a supergroup? This study aims to fill this research gap by investigating what kind of policies two of these parties, Sverigedemokraterna and Vox, advocate in the policy area of international trade. Further, this study aims to compare the similarities and differences between the parties’ policies in international trade to provide a deeper understanding of how coherent they are with the purpose to increase knowledge about their likelihood to cooperate. To examine this, this study uses a comparative text analysis to investigate the parties’ elections manifestos for the election to the European Parliament of 2019. With a theoretical starting point in the concept of populism, the study formulates three hypotheses to test the parties’ opinions on international trade. The study finds that the parties have similarities in a general aspect concerning protectionism and nationalism. However, the parties differ when it comes to the use of trade restrictions and whether international trade should remain an exclusive EU competence. In light of these findings, it can be expected that the two parties find it difficult to cooperate in this policy field. The findings contribute to the understanding of populist right-wing parties’ ability to unite with each other and their expected populist thoughts on international trade.