Chapter 4 analyzes the individual-level determinants of radical right party success in Slovakia, a country with a relatively strong radical right. It is based on an original survey with an embedded experiment and on qualitative interviews with members of the main radical party and representatives of Hungarian ethnic parties. The results indicate, consistent with the book’s theoretical expectations, that indignation over government transfers toward a politically backed minority (Hungarians) is a much stronger predictor of radical right voting in Slovakia than group hostility or xenophobia.

Chapter 5 examines the individual-level determinants of radical right party success in Ukraine, a country with a relatively weak radical right with a vast pool of grievances associated with corruption and economic malaise, along with a fluid party system that generates new parties every electoral cycle. Unlike Slovakia, Ukraine has a large ethnic minority (Russians) that threatens the dominant nationality with an actual status reversal. One might expect Ukraine to be a poster child for radical right mobilization. Yet, at the individual level, the analysis consistently shows that the logic of backlash against status quo shifts is equally applicable in such a distinct context. Resentment against government transfers for Russians is also a much better predictor of radical right voting in Ukraine than group hostility or xenophobia.