Right-wing Populism in Germany. An Empirical Classification of the Parties Campaigning in the 2013 Bundestag Election in Due Consideration of the AfD

Since its formation, the Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) has been subject to a lively debate. While it has been characterized as Turosceptical' in public, the party is more and more accused of promoting conservative and right-wing positions in terms of societal policy and integration as well as showing anti-establishment attitudes. Based on theoretical work on (right-wing) populism, we deduce a measurement concept that is applied to all relevant parties campaigning in the 2013 Bundestag election by using a comprehensive candidate survey. The results suggest that the AfD is indeed a right-wing populist party in comparison to other parties. Moreover, they encourage the application of our measurement approach in a comparative research design.