Party Sovereignist Entrepreneurship in EU countries

Sovereigntist parties have been on the rise around Europe. The electoral advancements of parties such as Fidesz in Hungary, the Front National in France or the Northern League in Italy have drawn the attention of an increased number of scholars who have sought to identify the factors behind the success of so-called sovereigntist parties. Notwithstanding, very little is known in reality about the theoretical underpinnings of the concept of sovreignism and its empirical validity. Leveraging the theoretical definition of sovreignism as a multidimensional phenomenon, encompassing a political, economic, cultural, and international sphere, we assess whether and how we can empirically measure it. In addressing this issue, we investigate: first, whether the (political, economic, cultural, international) dimensions which theoretically defines sovreignism are in fact measuring a latent, encompassing factor. Second, we investigate the electoral relevance of sovreignism, that is to say whether and to what extent parties' electoral performances are associated with their cosmopolitan-sovereigntist positions. Finally. we will try to understand whether party sovreignism is anchored on traditional lines of political conflict or rather it constitutes an autonomous dimension of party competition.