Left-wing parties, austerity and Euroscepticism in Greece, Italy and Spain

Abstract

A substantial part of the literature concentrates on the link between the right and Euroscepticism, while research on the left and Euroscepticism is often underexplored. This research analyses left-wing Euroscepticism in relation to austerity. It carries out an analysis on left-wing parties in Greece, Italy and Spain by examining the following left-wing parties: the Coalition of the Radical Left - Progressive Alliance (SYRIZA), the Five Star Movement (FSM) and Podemos. These parties are found in Greece, Italy and Spain respectively. Additionally, this research conducts an analysis on two European left-wing parties. These are the European Green Party (EGP) and the European Free Alliance (EFA). This research analyses the 2009-2019 period in order to evaluate the performance of left-wing parties in the 2009, 2014 and 2019 European Parliament elections. It aims to answer the research question: Did the effects of austerity lead to an increase in Euroscepticism in left-wing parties? The qualitative method was chosen to answer the research question. The research design which was selected is the case study. This research conducts case studies on Greece, Italy and Spain. It also conducts an additional analysis on the EGP and the EFA. Primary sources such as manifestos, articles and speeches are used in order to conduct the case studies on Greece, Italy and Spain. The additional analysis on the EGP and the EFA is carried out using the manifestos of the parties. The qualitative analysis highlights the criticism which was made by the left-wing parties against austerity. It reveals that SYRIZA, the FSM and Podemos are soft Eurosceptic parties. These parties are critical of the direction the European Union (EU) is going. Moreover, it shows that they are anti-austerity and populist parties, and that the Euroscepticism of left-wing parties is linked with neoliberalism. The qualitative analysis shows that the effects of austerity did lead to an increase in Euroscepticism in leftwing parties. The case studies on Greece, Italy and Spain show that SYRIZA, the FSM and Podemos are critical of austerity. The additional analysis on the EGP and the EFA highlights that the EGP is also critical of austerity.