Abstract

Confronted with rising immigration, extreme right parties have mobilized voters who want to defend their own people. Within the framework of the welfare state these voters advocate a welfare chauvinism that reserves solidarity for our kind of people. Quantitative analysis illustrates the results of the political polarization, but provides little insight into the reasons and the arguments leading to the protectionist defense. Using qualitative data, we reconstruct the reasoning on solidarity and welfare state among Vlaams Belang voters. The resistance towards the entrance of the stranger into the welfare state is not only motivated by selfinterest and identity, but it refers also to norms and values of equality, reciprocity and justice. The critique on the welfare state goes beyond welfare chauvinism. There are diverse arguments - ranging from the ideological left to right - that finally merge in a welfare populism eroding the universal and inclusive ambitions of the Belgian welfare state.

How to Cite:

Abts, K. & Kochuyt, T., (2013) “De vreemde bedreiging van de verzorgingsstaat”, Tijdschrift voor Sociologie 34(3-4), 227–249. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sociologos.86830