Dr Philip Rathgeb wins Titmuss Award for book on radical right
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Dr Philip Rathgeb has received the prestigious 2025 Richard Titmuss Book Award for his work How the Radical Right Has Changed Capitalism and Welfare in Europe and the USA. This award, presented by the Social Policy Association (SPA) at its 2025 annual conference, is one of the highest accolades in social policy. It acknowledges the most significant contribution to the field published in the preceding year.
Dr Rathgeb's 2024 book was the central topic of a dedicated review symposium in the leading journal Socio-Economic Review. The symposium included comprehensive reviews from five international scholars.
A groundbreaking analysis
Dr Rathgeb's book offers a thorough examination of the socio-economic consequences when radical right parties hold power. His analysis looks at socio-economic transformation of these parties from the 1970s to the present day. The book reviews a range of policies and their impact including:
- Welfare chauvinism
- Familialism
- Economic nationalism
- Trade protectionism
Through case studies including Austria, Denmark, Hungary, and the US, the book demonstrates how the radical right employs social and economic policies to benefit ‘deserving’ groups while marginalising others.
“Essential Reading” - Scholars praise the book's impact
The review symposium in the Socio-Economic Review described the book as a vital contribution to understanding contemporary politics.
Anke Hassel (Hertie School) called it “essential reading for everyone who wants to understand better what the effects of far-right parties are for economic and social policies.”
Alexandre Afonso (Leiden University) praised it as “the most comprehensive and insightful analysis of this phenomenon,” while Daniel Kinderman (University of Delaware) described it as “not only an analysis, but also a critique of the radical right’s nativism and authoritarianism.” and a “great example of comparative social science.”
The reviewers highlighted how the book has sparked a vibrant scholarly debate on critical questions, such as whether the radical right genuinely serves working-class interests or acts as a “tool of capitalist elites”, and the extent to which their policies are constrained by existing economic systems.
Gabor Scheiring (Georgetown University) said the book's “ability to bridge theoretical divides while maintaining analytical rigor sets a new standard for scholarship in this field”.
In his response, Dr Rathgeb engaged directly with the reviewers' points, arguing that the radical right's social and economic policies are “primarily driven by nativist and authoritarian goals rather than growth concerns” and serve to “obscure and neutralise class divisions in the interest of 'national unity' and 'culture wars'“.
The book has also received advance praise from other international scholars:
"This thought-provoking analysis is a huge step forward in understanding the radical right in power."- Dorothee Bohle, Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Vienna
“How the Radical Right has Changed Capitalism and Welfare is a must-read for anyone interested in comparative political economy, and indeed the future of liberal democracy." - Jonathan Hopkin, Professor of Comparative Politics, London School of Economics (LSE)
"This book is a masterful achievement in both theoretical and empirical regards." - Silja Häusermann, Professor of Political Science, University of Zurich.
Dr Rathgeb’s work exemplifies the School's commitment to producing rigorous, timely, and impactful research that addresses the most pressing challenges facing societies today.
Useful links
https://www.philiprathgeb.com/book
https://academic.oup.com/ser/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ser/mwaf039/8200862