STRATEGY OF AMBIVALENCE: AFD BETWEEN NEOLIBERALISM AND SOCIAL POPULISM
STRATEGY OF AMBIVALENCE: AFD BETWEEN NEOLIBERALISM AND SOCIAL POPULISM

Summary/Abstract: In the 2017 German election, the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD) did exceptionally well among workers. AfD’s electoral success can be attributed to their new focus on social policy, which is inconsistent with the neoliberal programme of the party. They combine social issues with nationalism and advocate privileges for Germans in the distribution of social benefits. This study investigates AfD’s new interest in social issues and the programmatic contradictions which accrue from it. It was found that AfD with its ideological incoherence conforms to Luke March’s definition for social populist parties. AfD turned to social populism because it makes them more attractive to workers, not because of their genuine interest in social issues. The party now has adopted a strategy of ambivalence, representing neoliberal and social populist positions at the same time; and it can be expected that they will play with this ambiguity in the future.

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