The Local Strength of Radical Right Parties and Pro-Migrant Local Elites' Responsiveness to Public Opinion in the Refugee Integration Policy Field

How does the presence of radical right parties (RRPs) in opposition to local executives influence local elites’ ‘responsiveness’ to public opinion, i.e. whether and how they factor public opinion into their decision-making processes? This article deals with this underexplored question focusing specifically on pro-migrant local elites operating in the refugee integration policy field in Western European towns, deriving concepts and insights from existing literatures on local integration policymaking and RRPs, and representative behaviour. The article applies a mixed-methods research design. It first develops a qualitative study, analysing 64 interviews, to derive specific hypotheses about the influence of RRPs on pro-migrant local elites’ ‘responsiveness’ to public opinion. Subsequently it tests these hypotheses applying multilevel regression analysis using original data from a survey conducted with local elites across 7 countries. The article finds that the share of seats held by RRPs in local councils affects pro-migrant local elites’ ‘responsiveness’ to public opinion differently depending on how elites perceive public attitudes toward refugees.