New Quantitative Analysis Reveals Complexity in European Far-Right Economic Policies

A comprehensive study published on February 9, 2026, challenges the simplistic view of far-right parties in Europe as either anti-finance or purely neoliberal. Instead, it reveals a nuanced landscape of economic strategies that vary significantly by country and party. Through a newly developed database analyzing the financial policies of nine far-right parties from 2010 to 2024, the research categorizes these parties into three distinct regimes.

The first group, 'credit market proponents,' includes parties like France's Rassemblement National (RN) and Italy's Fratelli d'Italia (FdI). They favor strong state control over credit to protect national companies, reflecting a desire to regulate financial flows while defending national economic interests. In contrast, the second group, 'capital market proponents,' such as Germany's AfD and Austria's FPÖ, embraces global capital markets but seeks mechanisms to anchor national savings, showing a hybrid stance balancing openness with national protection.

The third category comprises 'globalist asset managers,' like the Trump-aligned Republicans and Switzerland's UDC, who pursue a more liberal financial nationalism, combining market-friendly policies with selective state involvement.

Importantly, the study reveals that far-right parties do not seek to dismantle capitalism but rather aim to reinforce and control it to ensure its continuity. This control includes shielding national firms, taxing banks, or deregulating markets depending on the party’s orientation. For example, Italy's Giorgia Meloni advocates anti-finance measures such as protecting national companies from foreign takeovers and imposing bank taxes, whereas former U.S. President Donald Trump favored deregulation and tax cuts to encourage financial market growth.

These findings indicate that the traditional divide between regulatory opposition and neoliberal support oversimplifies the actual economic policies of far-right groups. Instead, these parties fill a political void by promoting state control over capital accumulation, without alleviating the structural challenges faced by the most vulnerable populations.

This nuanced understanding of far-right economic nationalism offers crucial insights into European political dynamics, especially in the lead-up to future elections where these parties are increasingly influential.