Populism

Part of the Politics series
Populism
Variants Black Left-wing Judicial Narodniks Penal Poporanism Right-wing Techno-
Concepts Anti-establishment Anti-intellectualism Anti-politics Common people Demagogy Depoliticisation Egalitarianism Elitism General will Mob rule Popular democracy Pluralism Social justice Third Position
Regional variants Canada Europe Latin America New Zealand United States
Related topics Agrarianism Alt-right Authoritarianism Berlusconism Chauvinism Chavismo Communism Erdoğanism Fascism Gaullism Janism Kemalism Kirchnerism (Relato K) Lulism Nationalism New Left New Right Peronism Pink tide Putinism Radical centrism Socialism Trumpism
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Populism is a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group with "the elite".^[1] It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment.^[2] The term developed in the late 19th century and has been applied to various politicians, parties and movements since that time, often as a pejorative. Within political science and other social sciences, several different definitions of populism have been employed, with some scholars proposing that the term be rejected altogether.^[1][3]

A common framework for interpreting populism is known as the ideational approach: this defines populism as an ideology that presents "the people" as a morally good force and contrasts them against "the elite", who are portrayed as corrupt and self-serving.^[4] Populists differ in how "the people" are defined, but it can be based along class, ethnic, or national lines. Populists typically present "the elite" as comprising the political, economic, cultural, and media establishment, depicted as a homogeneous entity and accused of placing their own interests, and often the interests of other groups—such as large corporations, foreign countries, or immigrants—above the interests of "the people".^[5] According to the ideational approach, populism is often combined with other ideologies, such as nationalism, liberalism, or socialism. Thus, populists can be found at different locations along the left–right political spectrum, and there exist both left-wing populism and right-wing populism.^[6]

Other scholars of the social sciences have defined the term populism differently. According to the popular agency definition used by some historians of United States history, populism refers to popular engagement of the population in political decision making. An approach associated with the political scientist Ernesto Laclau presents populism as an emancipatory social force through which marginalised groups challenge dominant power structures. Some economists have used the term in reference to governments which engage in substantial public spending financed by foreign loans, resulting in hyperinflation and emergency measures. In popular discourse—where the term has often been used pejoratively—it has sometimes been used synonymously with demagogy, to describe politicians who present overly simplistic answers to complex questions in a highly emotional manner, or with political opportunism, to characterise politicians who seek to please voters without rational consideration as to the best course of action.^{[citation needed]}

Some scholars have linked populist policies to adverse economic outcomes, as "economic disintegration, decreasing macroeconomic stability, and the erosion of institutions typically go hand in hand with populist rule."^[7]