Mind-the-NEXUS investigates the relationship between refugee reception, rural politics and the electoral success of far-right populist parties in five European countries, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Moving beyond simplified images of rural areas as conservative and backward, Mind-the-NEXUS focuses on rural areas facing multiple challenges – from the arrival of refugees to the reduction of public services – in order to understand when, how and why asylum becomes politicized, and which institutional and political factors shape local responses.
To this end, Mind-the-NEXUS will pursue an innovative cross-country/cross-locality research design, combining quantitative research, qualitative comparative analysis and a survey of rural policy elites. The project will study voting patterns, investigate the drivers and mechanisms of politicization, and explore how local officials understand asylum politics in their communities.
Mind-the-NEXUS studies how refugee reception, rural politics and far-right politicization intersect in contemporary Europe.
The project focuses on rural areas where the arrival of refugees often takes place alongside broader territorial challenges, including the reduction of key public services such as schools and hospitals. Through a comparative study across five European countries, Mind-the-NEXUS aims to understand when and why an asylum–far right nexus may emerge.
Is there really a connection between refugee reception in rural areas and the electoral success of far-right populist parties?
Mind-the-NEXUS starts from this question to move beyond simplified explanations and investigate the factors that shape different local political responses.
Mind-the-NEXUS focuses on rural areas in five European countries:
France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
These countries provide a comparative perspective on how municipalities and local actors deal with reception and integration policies.
At the centre of the project is the concept of Rural Political Arena: the multilevel space where reception and integration policies are debated, contested and shaped.
This means looking not only at single municipalities, but also at the relations between local, regional, national and supranational actors.
Mind-the-NEXUS combines quantitative research, qualitative comparative analysis and a survey of rural policy elites.
The project will analyse voting patterns, investigate the drivers and mechanisms of politicization, and explore how local officials understand asylum politics in their communities.
The Mind-the-NEXUS project joins the annual conference of the Italian Political Science Association in Trento, 3–5 September 2026 The Mind-the-NEXUS
Explore the main scientific outputs produced within the Mind-the-NEXUS project.
This section will collect publications, working papers and research materials developed throughout the project, offering evidence-based insights into asylum politics, rural areas and far-right politicization in Europe.
For information about the project, research activities or collaborations, please contact the project team.
