Extreme party support reduces green research and innovation

Rodríguez-Pose, A., Z. You and P. Teirlinck (2025) present evidence that stronger regional support for extreme political parties correlates with reduced scientific research and technological innovation, with a pronounced effect on green innovation (CEPR Discussion Paper No. 20598).

• Main finding: Using data from 1,137 EU regions and drawing on scientific publication and patent records, the authors apply Tobit regression models and report that stronger support for extreme parties is associated with lower levels of scientific research and technological innovation, both overall and in their green forms. The study is published as CEPR Discussion Paper No. 20598 (CEPR Press, Paris & London) and is available at the provided URL.
• Details & heterogeneity: The negative association is consistent for extreme right-wing parties, which are tied to reduced research output and innovation performance, particularly in green technological sectors; by contrast, extreme left-wing support shows a more variable relationship depending on the degree of radicalism. The analysis relies on regional-level publication and patent metrics and Tobit model estimation; no monetary figures or timelines are provided in the paper.