Close Strangers: Immigration Proximity, Resources and the Rise of the Radical Right in Spain
- Programa:
- Sesión 6, Sesión 6
Día: jueves, 10 de septiembre de 2026
Hora: 15:00 a 16:45
Lugar: 22
This article examines the determinants of the rise of Vox, Spain's radical right party. The Spanish case is distinctive due to the heterogeneity of its immigrant population, which varies widely in cultural, linguistic, and religious profiles. This creates a particular context for the party's growth, given persistently high unemployment and rapidly rising housing rents. We draw on a novel census-tract-level dataset covering three general elections, combining electoral, demographic, and economic data in a first-difference specification. Our findings show that the impact of immigration on Vox’s support varies across time and migrant origins. While rising immigration is associated with greater support for Vox in the long term, this relationship is weaker in the short term. Differences by origin are substantial: inflows from the Maghreb consistently drive support for Vox, while Latin American immigration has more conditional effects. Housing-related economic pressure amplifies these dynamics over time, while unemployment's effect diverges over time.
Palabras clave: Radical right, far right, Vox, Immigration, housing market, unemployment