Maurits Meijers
Maurits Meijers and Andrej Zaslove address the ‘myth’ that populist beliefs among citizens are harmful for liberal democracy. Using insights from recent research, they argue that highly populist citizens are not more likely than other citizens to reject the principles of liberal democracy Read more
Masaru Nishikawa
Japanese media and academics continue to link populism with specific political positions. Yet studies show that this is not the case. Masaru Nishikawa raises the fundamental question of whether populism exists in Japan Read more
Marcel Lewandowsky
Marcel Lewandowsky argues that much research on populism suffers from that a contextual blind spot: it overlooks the broad variety of illiberal attitudes of which populism is only one variant. Here, he calls for more research on this ‘invisible coalition’ of illiberal attitudes Read more
Vlad Surdea-Hernea
Far-right populist parties have become crucial actors in shaping domestic policymaking across European democracies. Vlad Surdea-Hernea argues that populists have sensed an opportunity in the increasing salience of climate change. They have turned their attention towards limiting ambitious climate policy, thereby impeding or even reversing pro-environmental progress Read more
Proma Raychaudhury
Focusing on Narendra Modi’s populist leadership in India, Proma Ray Chaudhury argues that displays of vulnerability by strongman populist leaders can offer insights into the resilience of populist regimes Read more
Reinhard Heinisch
The more populism has evolved and the more we have learned about this supposedly elusive and contested concept, the more we recognise that the early insights we gained about the phenomenon have stood the test of time. Reinhard Heinisch argues that although these early lessons already pointed to the importance of credible change agency, ambiguity, and territoriality as crucial features for populism's success, their role is still not fully understood Read more
Laura Jacobs
Social media play a key role in amplifying populist messages. The resulting misinformation, political polarisation, and the proliferation of hate speech, pose challenges for democracy. Laura Jacobs steps into the populist echo chamber Read more
Mattia Zulianello
Mattia Zulianello and Petra Guasti explore and rebut three die-hard myths about populism. This, they argue, on the one hand guards against overestimating populism as a phenomenon. On the other, it warns that we must not underestimate the political strength of the so-called populist radical right Read more
