Combating the Extreme Right with the Instruments of the Constitutional State: Lessons from Experiences in Western Europe

Abstract

Given that state responses are very much influenced and constrained by the particular form in which right-wing extremism occurs, I begin by presenting a six-category typology of relevant types of the phenomenon, each category being defined by a particular mix of individual, organizational, and ideological factors. I then describe three principal types of state response, discussing their content and their relevance to different forms of right-wing extremism.
A discussion follows of methods for evaluating the „success” of particular responses and the various complications of implementation and evaluation. I end with an overview of the general effectiveness of state responses, coming to the conclusion that a liberal democratic state has the means to be effective in specific narrow respects (such as those depending on criminal sanction) but that its scope for successful action in such spheres as ideology is less impressive.