Conservatives throughout the United States are increasingly looking to what Viktor Orbán has achieved for Hungary as a model to emulate, but many of these conservatives are overlooking his economic populist policies. In many ways, his Fidesz party, along with many other conservative continental European parties, defy the conventional free market ideology seen from the Anglosphere conservative parties, which has paid dividends to both Hungarians and Orbán, who is the longest currently serving political leader of any European country.

One of the top issues for conservative parties in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom is that they are hemorrhaging young voters; most do not care for Reaganism or Thatcherism when it comes to economics, even if older conservatives still glorify free market solutions in Anglo nations. In fact, for many young voters, these parties are now toxic. There are, in part, demographic reasons for this development, with minority voters who tend to support pro-immigration left-wing parties becoming an increasingly large share of the electorate. However, as the U.S. midterms showed, even a majority of young White voters favored Democrats.

Hungary and other continental European parties that are surging in popularity show that conservatives do not have to be synonymous with crony capitalism, total privatization, financialization of the economy, or an absence of support for the middle class and young people.

Below, Remix News lists seven policies Orbán’s governments have implemented since 2010 to redefine conservative ideology when it comes to the economy and social support.

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