Articles by Fred Paxton

February 26, 2026

🔮 Can local independents block the rise of populism in ‘left-behind’ communities?

Fred Paxton

Independent local lists are often seen as a sign of democratic community organisation. More than that, write Fred Paxton and Eliška Drápalová, their rise may actually limit the success of populist parties among voters disenchanted with mainstream politics

How do populists make their decisions?

Fred Paxton

Italian populists’ focus on ‘the will of the people’ has frequently contradicted their ideological priorities towards migration, Fred Paxton and Andrea Pettrachin find. The perception of local attitudes to immigration and issue salience are the determining factors in how populists in local government make their decisions

Fred Paxton

Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow, University of Glasgow

Fred holds a PhD in Social and Political Sciences from the European University Institute in Florence.

His research interests concern populism, radical (left and right) parties, and subnational (regional and local) politics.

He is currently working on a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship titled Identity at the roots: place-based identity politics in divided societies.

Restrained Radicals: Populist Radical Right Parties in Local Government
Cambridge University Press, 2023

www.fredpaxton.com

@fredpaxton

@fredpaxton.bsky.social

The Loop

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Articles by Fred Paxton

🔮 Can local independents block the rise of populism in ‘left-behind’ communities?

How do populists make their decisions?

The Loop

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