Beyond populism and into the state: The political economy of national-conservatism


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Altınörs G., Chryssogelos A.

British Journal of Politics and International Relations, vol.26, no.4, pp.995-1014, 2024 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 26 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 2024
  • Doi Number: 10.1177/13691481241246538
  • Journal Name: British Journal of Politics and International Relations
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Geobase, Index Islamicus, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, vLex, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, DIALNET
  • Page Numbers: pp.995-1014
  • Keywords: conservatism, global right, nationalism, neoliberalism, political economy, populism, the state
  • Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This article argues that the crises of neoliberal globalisation since the 2000s have given rise to a new transnational political family that we call ‘national-conservatism’. Through a critical examination of the literature on the Global Right and the role of the state under globalisation, we contend that national-conservatism acts as an innovative model for acquiring and exerting power from the right today, characterised by an endorsement of the state’s economic role, an emphasis on traditional values and hierarchies such as religion, and a proactive, occasionally confrontational stance in foreign policy. Consequently, the paradigm of national-conservatism prompts the division of transnational neoliberalism into discrete national domains. These domains function as havens where the neoliberal elite is shielded both from foreign competitive pressures and radical demands of respective national societies. Crucially, national-conservatism garners legitimacy for this new order through its commitment to revitalising traditional, hierarchical models of national sovereignty.