Why immigration has the potential to upend the Italian election

Analysis feature. The failure of Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders to cause an upset in 2017 had prompted some observers to argue that Europe’s ‘populist right’ was now in retreat. But as James Dennison, Andrew Geddes and Matthew Goodwin highlight, the apparent fall in support for anti-immigration populism elsewhere in Europe has not been seen in Italy ahead of the country’s general election in March 2018. Immigration has risen from a non-issue to the second most important for Italian voters, and polls have shown growing support for the increasingly anti-immigration Forza Italia and Lega Nord.

• Primary Source

Blog: LSE EuroppBlog, 03.03.18: Has immigration really led to an increase in crime in Italy? http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2018/03/03/has-immigration-really-led-to-an-increase-in-crime-in-italy/

ESO: Key Source: Italian general election, 2018 http://www.europeansources.info/record/italian-general-election-2018/

The Local.it, 03.03.18: Immigration in Itay: Myths and reality ahead of election https://www.thelocal.it/20180303/immigration-in-itay-myths-and-reality-ahead-of-election

Istituto Affari Internazionali: IAI Working Papers No.35, December 2017: Immigration Policy in Italy: Problems and Perspectives http://www.europeansources.info/record/immigration-policy-in-italy-problems-and-perspectives/

ECFR: Commentary, October 2017: Italy's u-turn on migration: Polls come first (et al) http://www.europeansources.info/record/italys-u-turn-on-migration-polls-come-first/

Chatham House: Expert Comment, 14.12.17: In 2018, Europe’s Populist Challenges Will Continue http://www.europeansources.info/record/in-2018-europes-populist-challenges-will-continue/

The Conversation, 07.02.18: The spectre of fascism haunts Italy after attempted massacre forces African migrants to stay indoors https://theconversation.com/the-spectre-of-fascism-haunts-italy-after-attempted-massacre-forces-african-migrants-to-stay-indoors-91293

ECFR: Commentary, 21.02.18: Migration myths dominate Italian election campaign http://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_migration_myths_dominate_italian_election_campaign

The Local.it, 23.02.18: Talking to locals and migrants in Macerata, Italy's immigration flashpoint https://www.thelocal.it/20180223/macerata-immigration-italian-election-migrants

The Local.it, 18.02.18: ‘We’re scared of immigration, not Europe,’ say Italian voters https://www.thelocal.it/20171218/italy-populism-immigration-europe

LSE European Institute: EuroppBlog, 12.03.18: Understanding the role of immigration in the Italian election result http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2018/03/12/understanding-the-role-of-immigration-in-the-italian-election-result/

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