Populism
185
over time it may have become a ‘victim’ of economic globalization. This can be seen from the fact that rates of economic growth in Western Europe and the USA have dropped off in recent decades, with inevitable consequences for living standards. ‘Real’ living standards for middle-income families in the USA have, for example, hardly risen for over 30 years. Moreover, since the 1980s, most Western societies have experienced a marked increase in within-country inequality, helping to foster both resentment towards elites and disillusionment with a democratic system that no longer seems to ‘work’ for the less well-off. Such developments are difficult, and may be impossible, to reverse because they stem both from the inner workings of globalization itself (which, for instance, dictate the continuing export of manufacturing jobs from the developed to the developing world) and from the fact that even the most powerful state is unable to ‘opt out’ altogether from the processes of globalization.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
y y To what extent do historical examples of populism have common origins? y y On what grounds can populism be regarded as an ideology? y y In what sense is the populist notion of ‘the people’ a construct? y y According to populists, how does the elite exercise power over the people? y y Is illiberal democracy a contradiction in terms? y y How and why do populists condemn centrist politics? y y Are all populists nationalists, or only some?
y y With what forms of nationalism is populism compatible? y y What is the basis of the link between populism and authoritarianism? y y What is the relationship between populism and the far-right? y y Why and how does left-wing populism differ from right-wing populism? y y Is contemporary populism better explained in terms of economic factors or cultural factors? y y In what senses does populism pose a particular threat to liberalism? Norris, P. and Inglehart, R. Cultural Backlash and the Rise of Populism: Trump, Brexit and Authoritarian Populism (2019). An attempt to set out a general theory that explains polarization over the cultural cleavage dividing social liberals from social conservatives. Team Populism https://populism.byu.edu. An academic collaboration studying populist politics, their website provides a wealth of links to relevant publications, studies, databases and other web resources.
FURTHER READING
Eatwell, R. and Goodwin, M. National Populism: The Revolt Against Liberal Democracy (2018). An accessible and insightful account of the rise of national populism in theWest, and its implications. Kaltwasser, C., Taggart, P., Espejo, O. and Ostiguy, P. (eds) The Oxford Handbook of Populism (2017). A collection that provides state-of-the-art research and scholarship on various aspects of populism. Moffit, B. Populism (2020). A strong theoretical introduction to the debates around defining and classifying populism, as well as its interactions without other major ideologies.
Powered by FlippingBook