THREAD: A word that’s commonly bandied about nowadays is “populism.” The connotations differ in different contexts. This was evident in a recent discussion when some noted that ‘populism’ (e.g. at a state level in India) had strengthened democracy in various ways. 1/n
This new article by @casmudde and Cristobal Rovira Kaltwasser offers a lot of food for thought, including good definitions, alternative views, and some cross-cultural comparisons. journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.117… (via @tcwittes) 2/n
Essentially, there are a few common strands that populists of all political and ideological stripes have in common, and the authors do a great job of synthesizing some of the extant literature on the subject. 3/n
The main common strand identified by Mudde and Rovira Kaltwasser is (1) the trope of the “purity of the people” versus the “corruption of the elite.” It's not all-encompassing but nicely captures very disparate phenomena under a single definition. 4/n
Populists also capitalise on (2) economic deprivation, defined in subjective and relative terms, rather than in objective and absolute terms. It's a keen insight and may explain the disparity between economic data and public sentiment. 5/n
There is also a broad preference for (3) direct democracy and/or majority rule with fewer checks and balances (bureaucracy, press, judiciary). Thus an essential contradiction between democracy (and most populists emphasise their democratic credentials) and liberalism. 6/n
Another strain of commonality among all populists is (4) a proclivity towards partisanship and polarization. Compromise becomes more difficult. 7/n
A few other characteristics are not necessarily shared by all populists, but by some. An obvious one is (5) nativism, capitalising on cultural backlash. 8/n
Related to that – and this is as true of the populist left as the right – is (6) the scepticism of international obligations, which are often deemed undemocratic or unfair. 9/10
Finally, many – but not all – populist movements benefit from a (7) charismatic leader, often willing to break certain long-standing taboos to demonstrate that he/she is ‘of the people.’ 10/10
