Special Issue of Emancipations

Guest Editors

• Inga Rademacher (City St George’s, University of London)
• Théo Bourgeron (University of Edinburgh)
• Vladimir Bortun (University of Oxford)

‘Erratic’ is the label often attached to the far right’s economic agenda. The Guardian has called Giorgia Meloni a “shapeshifter”, Dutch media describe the Party for Freedom as “inconsistent”, and Economist finds that Donald Trump’s economic policies have been “erratic”.

While much of the far right’s rhetoric does appear fragmented and contradictory, the diagnosis of “insanity” risks obscuring deeper analysis. If the far-right project is merely erratic, we are prevented from asking critical questions: Cui bono? What are the alignments between far-right forces and economic elites? And how might economic governance evolve under far-right leadership?

Existing scholarship has largely focused on the economic roots of far-right voting behaviour (e.g. Hopkin and Blyth 2019; Hopkin 2020). Yet the economic policy agendas of far-right parties in power remain underexplored. Where research does exist, scholars continue to disagree on whether the far right represents a continuation of neoliberalism (Slobodian 2025), a mutation of it, or an insurgency against globalist orthodoxy.

This special issue aims to move beyond questions of voter demand to examine the supply side of far-right economics—its economic policy projects, its alliances with capital, and its visions of the state. We seek contributions that conceptualise the economic dimensions of far-right politics, investigate its relations to businesses, and situate it within capitalism at large.

We welcome theoretical, historical, and empirical contributions (either in the form of peer-reviewed research papers around 8,000 words or as non-reviewed commentaries 2000-5000 words) exploring themes such as:

• The political economy of far-right governance and state interventionism
• Financial, industrial, fiscal, monetary, welfare or education policies under far-right parties
• The relationship between far-right regimes and economic elites (finance, tech, industry)
• Comparative analyses of far-right economic models across regions
• The role of economic nationalism, protectionism, and corporate governance reform
• Far-right responses to financialisation, austerity, or global capital mobility
• Continuities and ruptures between neoliberalism and far-right economic strategy

Submission Details

• Abstracts (300 words) due: 15 December 2025
• Full papers/commentaries due: 1 March 2026
• Please send abstracts to: inga.rademacher@city.ac.uk