Jobbik’s journey from radicalism to mainstream politics:

Analyzing the parliamentary speeches of Jobbik and the dynamic network of its politicians between 2010 and 2020

Authors

  • Zsófia Rakovics Doctoral School of Sociology, Research Center for Computational Social Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9903-9348
  • Ildikó Barna Research Center for Computational Social Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7710-8402

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17356/ieejsp.v10i4.1246
Abstract Views: 66 PDF Downloads: 39

Keywords:

Jobbik, parliamentary speeches, natural language processing, document embedding, structural topic modeling, social network analysis

Abstract

Exploring the substantial influence wielded by politicians in shaping social reality and molding the public perceptions of the country may be beneficial from a social scientific point of view. Our research delves into the distinctive realm of parliamentary discourse to unravel this intricate process.

We focus on the transformative role of politicians and political parties within the public political sphere. Through an innovative approach, linguistic similarities in parliamentary speeches are harnessed to unveil the strategies of political communication, the dynamics of power dynamics, and the myriad modes of interactions.

Our research puts the spotlight on Jobbik – Movement for a Better Hungary, a notable far-right party that has navigated a decade of political success in Central and Eastern Europe. Gaining a substantial share of the vote in national elections, Jobbik’s evolution from its radical right-wing origins to a moderate conservative people’s party is the subject of scrutiny. Leveraging techniques such as natural language processing, document embedding, social network analysis, and structural topic modeling, the study dissects Jobbik’s journey from radicalism to mainstream politics.

We uncover the transformation of Jobbik through a meticulous analysis of parliamentary speeches and the use of quantitative analytical tools. We not only reveal the evolution of Jobbik’s identity but also contribute to a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between political communication and power dynamics.

Author Biographies

Zsófia Rakovics, Doctoral School of Sociology, Research Center for Computational Social Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

Assistant Professor at Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Empirical Studies, Department of Social Research Methodology. Researcher at Research Center for Computational Social Science (ELTE RC2S2) and at HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences.

Ildikó Barna, Research Center for Computational Social Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

Associate Professor at Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Empirical Studies, Department of Social Research Methodology; Co-founder and co-leader of Research Center for Computational Social Science (ELTE RC2S2).

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Published

2025-02-17

How to Cite

[1]
Rakovics, Z. and Barna, I. 2025. Jobbik’s journey from radicalism to mainstream politics:: Analyzing the parliamentary speeches of Jobbik and the dynamic network of its politicians between 2010 and 2020. Intersections. East European Journal of Society and Politics. 10, 4 (Feb. 2025), 82–105. DOI:https://doi.org/10.17356/ieejsp.v10i4.1246.

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 4 (2024): Eastern and Central European political discourses from the perspective of computational social science - Part 1

Section

Research Papers

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