New perspectives on populism
a survey article
Keywords:
authoritarianism, democracy, maximalism, minimalism, populismAbstract
This article offers a critical analysis of the main contemporary accounts of populism. In particular, I focus on two families of theories, to which I will refer as “minimalist” and “maximalist” conceptions. The first group understands populism as a surface phenomenon, which boils down to a discursive style, a way of making politics, or a strategy to achieve political power. Instead, the second group sees populism as a more substantive political program oriented towards a radical transformation of democratic institutions and the concept of representation that lies at their very heart. Even though both views accurately illuminate some key aspects of the populist phenomenon, I conclude that they are partial and incomplete. This is why I suggest to interpret them as complementary rather than mutually exclusive.
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