French corporate elite seeks to steer far-right economic policy amid rising inequality and global trade tensions

Indigenous economic systems, such as the Andean concept of 'buen vivir' or the Māori principle of 'kaitiakitanga,' prioritise collective well-being and ecological sustainability over extractive capitalism. These models challenge the far-right's nationalist rhetoric by demonstrating that economic sovereignty can coexist with cultural preservation. However, French corporate elites actively suppress such alternatives by lobbying against indigenous land rights and promoting monocultural economic models. The far-right's co-optation of economic nationalism often erases these indigenous frameworks entirely.

France has a long history of corporate elites aligning with far-right movements during crises, from the collaborationist Vichy regime's ties to industrialists to the post-2008 austerity era, where banks and tech oligarchs funded far-right think tanks. The far-right's economic agenda today mirrors 1930s fascist corporatism, where state power is used to benefit private capital while suppressing labour rights. This pattern is not unique to France; in Italy, the far-right Lega party has long been backed by industrialists like the Agnelli family. The continuity of this dynamic suggests a structural crisis of liberal democracy, not an aberration.

In Brazil, the far-right Bolsonaro government's economic policies were heavily influenced by agribusiness elites and financial sectors, leading to deforestation and social inequality, while indigenous and Afro-Brazilian communities faced violent dispossession. The Turkish far-right under Erdoğan has similarly used economic nationalism to consolidate power, enriching a new class of crony capitalists while suppressing Kurdish and leftist alternatives. In contrast, Nordic countries have historically balanced corporate influence with strong labour movements and social democracy, though this model is now under threat from both far-right and neoliberal forces.

Research in political economy shows that far-right economic policies often exacerbate inequality by prioritising capital accumulation over redistribution, as seen in studies of Hungary under Orbán and the U.S. under Trump. Financialisation—where profits increasingly come from financial transactions rather than production—has been linked to the rise of far-right populism in Europe, according to IMF and World Bank data. However, mainstream economics largely ignores the role of corporate lobbying in shaping these policies, instead framing them as 'market-driven' inevitabilities.

Artists and spiritual leaders have long critiqued the far-right's economic agenda as a form of 'idolatry of the market,' where money becomes a god displacing human dignity, as seen in Pope Francis' encyclicals or the works of Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff. The far-right's emphasis on 'national greatness' often mirrors mythological narratives of decline and rebirth, such as the Wagnerian operas that inspired Nazi economic corporatism. Meanwhile, movements like the Zapatistas use indigenous cosmologies to reimagine economics as a sacred covenant with the earth, offering a radical alternative to both far-right and neoliberal paradigms.

Scenario modelling suggests that if corporate elites continue to steer far-right economic agendas, Europe could see a 'managed fascism' model, where authoritarianism is tempered by neoliberal economic policies, leading to increased surveillance, labour precarity, and ecological collapse. Alternative futures include the rise of eco-socialist movements that merge degrowth principles with indigenous land stewardship, or the fragmentation of the EU into competing nationalist blocs. The most likely near-term outcome is a hybrid system where far-right rhetoric is used to justify corporate welfare while public services are dismantled.

Marginalised voices—particularly racialised workers, undocumented migrants, and feminist economists—have consistently warned that the far-right's economic agenda will deepen exploitation, as seen in the 'Yellow Vests' movement's demands for economic justice. Indigenous leaders like France's Sônia Guajajara have highlighted how far-right policies enable land grabs and environmental destruction, while Black feminist economists like Pavlina Tcherneva argue that the far-right's focus on 'national priority' jobs often excludes racialised and gendered labour. These perspectives are systematically excluded from mainstream economic debates, which privilege elite narratives.