Deindustrialisation and precarity: How neoliberal economic restructuring fuels far-right electoral gains in Europe

Indigenous and peasant movements in Europe (e.g., ZAD in France, No Borders networks) have long framed deindustrialisation as a continuation of colonial extractivism, linking rural dispossession to urban precarity. These perspectives highlight how 'green transitions' often replicate colonial resource grabs, displacing communities while offering no viable economic alternatives. The study’s sectoral focus ignores how Indigenous land stewardship models could underpin resilient local economies resistant to far-right mobilisation.

The post-1970s shift from Fordist industrial capitalism to financialised neoliberalism systematically dismantled labour protections, with Europe’s 'peripheral' regions (e.g., Ruhr Valley, Northern England) bearing the brunt of deindustrialisation. Historical parallels abound in the US Rust Belt, where Reagan-era deregulation and NAFTA accelerated industrial decline, seeding the ground for Trumpism. The EU’s austerity-driven 'structural reforms' post-2008 replicated these patterns, exacerbating regional inequalities and fuelling Euroscepticism.

Comparative studies show that far-right support correlates with regions experiencing 'precarity contagion'—where the collapse of one industry triggers cascading economic and social disintegration, as seen in Poland’s coal regions or South Africa’s platinum belt. In Japan, the decline of small-scale manufacturing has led to rural-urban divides mirroring Europe’s, with nationalist rhetoric filling the void left by abandoned communities. Cross-cultural data suggests that far-right mobilisation thrives where economic despair intersects with cultural narratives of lost national grandeur.

The study’s methodology isolates sectoral employment as a proxy for economic vulnerability, but this risks conflating correlation with causation—ignoring how financialisation and automation have reshaped labour markets beyond traditional industries. Peer-reviewed research links rising far-right support to declining union density, wage stagnation, and the hollowing out of social safety nets, all of which predate the 2008 crisis. Methodological nationalism (focusing on national datasets) obscures transnational capital flows that drive regional decline.

Artistic movements like Germany’s 'Neue Wilden' or Italy’s Arte Povera emerged in response to industrial decay, using creativity as a form of resistance to economic abandonment. Spiritual traditions, such as Catholic social teaching in Latin America or Buddhist economics in Thailand, offer frameworks for reimagining work beyond GDP growth—challenging the far-right’s nostalgic nationalism. Music genres like punk or hip-hop have historically channelled precarity into collective action, though their radical potential is often co-opted or commodified.

Scenario modelling suggests that without addressing regional inequality, Europe will face a 'precariat cascade'—where automation and climate policies further displace workers, radicalising populations already primed for authoritarian solutions. Alternative futures include 'just transition' models (e.g., Spain’s green industrial zones) that couple renewable energy with localised manufacturing, or degrowth experiments like Croatia’s 'solidarity economy' networks. The far-right’s rise is not inevitable; it reflects a failure to preemptively redistribute the gains of technological progress.

Migrant workers in Europe’s logistics and agricultural sectors—often excluded from official employment data—experience precarity double that of native-born workers, yet their struggles are sidelined in political narratives. Women in feminised labour (care work, textiles) face intersectional vulnerabilities, with far-right parties exploiting their economic insecurity while attacking reproductive rights. Roma communities in Eastern Europe, subjected to systemic discrimination, are disproportionately affected by deindustrialisation but rarely centred in policy solutions.