Dan Paget
Some ideologies look like populisms, but aren’t, writes Dan Paget. Instead, like populisms, these distinctive authoritarian ideologies envisage struggles of 'the people' against 'the corrupt'. Yet unlike them, they envisage 'the leaders' not as embodiments of the people’s will but as guardians of their interests. He calls this 'elitist plebeianism' Read more
Mehmet Haşim Çevik
Right-wing populist parties have divergent positions on policies that seek to combat climate change. Key to understanding why, writes Mehmet Haşim Çevik, is whether the country relies on domestic fossil fuels Read more
Alexander Dannerhäll
Radical-right parties are widely regarded as EU-sceptic and opponents of liberal immigration policies. But does this necessarily extend to free trade? Alexander Dannerhäll studies the trade policies of the right-wing Sweden Democrats. He argues that the answer may be both yes and no, depending on how we define protectionism, and which analytical perspective we adopt Read more
Susanne Reinhardt
Despite their shared antigenderism, populist radical-right parties’ contestation of gender and sexual equality forms a continuum rather than being homogenous across countries. Susanne Reinhardt, Annett Heft, and Elena Pavan argue that varieties of antigenderism are best understood through a party’s societal context, ideology, and voter expectations Read more
Erica Guevara
An intricate interplay between populism, gender dynamics, and religion is shaping the Central American political landscape. Erica Guevara, Ignacio Siles, and MarÃa Fernanda Salas take a closer look at recent election campaigns in the region, uncovering the role played by these intertwined factors Read more
Ilana Hartikainen
Tribalism has emerged as a key term in political discussions — often used, but not clearly defined. Ilana Hartikainen and Zea Szebeni propose reconceptualising ‘tribalism’ to differentiate forms of political mobilisation. Tribalism, they argue, forms exclusive groups around shared values — and it’s gone global Read more
Anna Longhini
Anna Longhini argues that in the relationship between citizens and bureaucrats, we find the seeds of populist ideology, which characterises the former as the 'pure people' and the latter as the 'corrupt elite'. Italy is a useful case in point. There, attempts to reform the public sector have failed to stem the spread of populist ideology Read more
Diego Fossati
We typically associate populism with corrosive partisan polarisation. Indeed, populist rhetoric often denigrates opponents as 'enemies of the people'. But while polarisation can have negative effects on democracy, Diego Fossati argues that it may also bring unexpected benefits. Using cases from Southeast Asia, he offers some convincing evidence Read more
