L'IEIS organise les 9 et 10 décembre 2011 une conférence sur la montée de l'extrême droite et l'avenir de la démocratie libérale en Europe.

The conference will bring together some thirty experts from different parts of Europe to examine the various issues relating to the rise of the extreme right and the future of liberal democracy in Europe. Does the extreme right still continue to rise? What are the trends in different parts of Europe? Does right wing extremism pose a challenge for liberal democracy either from within or from outside the party system? What are the reasons for the success of the extreme right? Is liberal democracy in crisis? How does liberal democracy respond to the challenge of the extreme right and how should it respond? Is liberal democracy a model for the 21st century? The aim of the conference is to link the question of the success of the extreme right to wider questions of liberal democracy in Europe.

Preliminary Programme

Friday 9 December 2011

09.00 – 09.15 Welcome and Introduction

09.15 – 10.45 Session 1: The present situation – Is the extreme right on the rise?

1. Country trends
2. Structural changes in European politics and society

11.15 – 12.45 Session 2: Right wing extremism as a challenge for liberal democracy?

1. Inside the party system (In countries: success at elections and government participation / In Europe: formation of a European right)
2. Outside the party system

14.15 – 15.45 Session 3: Reasons for the success of the extreme right – Is liberal democracy in Crisis?

1. Dysfunction/failure of democracy and the rise of political alienation
2. Islamophobia and xenophobia
3. Social dislocation and the lack of integrating minorities
4. Cultural anxiety
5. Has the extreme right changed its image or its ideas?

16.15 – 17.45 Session 4: How does liberal democracy respond? How should it?

1. Political exclusion or inclusion
2. Adopting right wing ideas or addressing the underlying problems
3. Confronting the extreme right

Saturday 10 December 2011

09.15 – 10.45 Session 5: Liberal democracy, a model for the 21st century?

1. What traditions and ideas are available to liberal democracy
2. What institutions and policies are necessary for reviving liberal democracy?

11.15 – 12.45 Session 6: Policy recommendations and Conclusions

1. Recommendations for party reform
2. Recommendations for institutional reform
3. Recommendations for policy ideas