What is migration populism? Concept development and the Italian case

Abstract

This paper proposes the concept of migration populism to address the analytical ambiguity surrounding the relationship between populism and migration in current public and academic debates. Building on the ideational approach, it defines migration populism as the framing of migration issues produced within broader populist ideologies, particularly-though not exclusively-by populist radical right parties. It identifies three core elements: a thin interpretation of migration that flexibly incorporates elements drawn from complementary ideologies such as nationalism and nativism; an alarmist narrative portraying pro-migration elites as betraying the "pure people"; and the attribution of policy failure to liberal-democratic constraints. To demonstrate the analytical value and explanatory power of this conceptualisation, the paper analyses the Italian case, showing how these elements converge within a specific political and institutional context. It concludes by reflecting on the benefits of a clearly delimited concept for comparative research.