Quick and dirty: how populist parties in government affect greenhouse gas emissions in EU member states

Abstract

Populist parties are on the rise. But what happens when they are in government? In order to grasp the effect of populist parties in government systematically, the paper includes all 28 EU member states in an analysis which estimates the effect of populist parties in power on the increase of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The results show that depending on their ideological orientation populist government participation is clearly associated with increasing GHG emissions. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the effect is quick. This is above all true for right-wing populist parties in government. Furthermore, the analysis shows that populist parties have different impacts in various regions of the EU. While right-wing populist governments are associated with an increase of GHG emissions in North Western and Eastern Europe, left-wing populist governments in Southern Europe have the opposite effect.