Researchers join European study into political extremism

Researchers from Glasgow Caledonian University will examine the rise of political extremism across Europe as part of a £2.7 million EU-funded study.

OppAttune: Countering Oppositional Political Extremism Through Attuned Dialogue will bring together 17 institutions from 15 countries.

The project, funded by Horizon Europe 2023, will seek to establish the psychological and sociological drivers of extremism.

It's hoped the study will produce recommendations on how to limit the rise of extreme political narratives and reduce their potential to disrupt democratic elections.

Professor Umut Korkut, Head of EU-Funded Projects at the WISE Centre for Economic Justice at Glasgow Caledonian, said: "Democracies are under threat from extremism and a lack of political and social dialogue.

"Oppositional worldviews within public debate are all vital to a functioning democracy.

"However, destructive polarisation and us-versus-them logic is at the core of the rise of extremist narratives."

The Glasgow Caledonian team will explore the relationship between extremist behavioural responses and economic protectionism.

Researchers from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Kosovo, Malta, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, and the UK will work together on the three-year project, led by The Open University.