The Thinking Lab on Populism is dealing with one of the fastest growing phenomena in current European politics. The Lab members are working together to identify common features of so-called populist movements, to analyse the root causes of populism in Europe and to present solutions and policy recommendations to strategically tackle illiberal populism.
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“The European Union is a victim of its own success”
Cas Mudde on the root causes of populism in Europe
Cas Mudde is one of the most renowned experts on political extremism and populism in Europe. He is Associate Professor of International Affairs at the University of Georgia and Researcher at the Center for Research on Extremism at the University of Oslo. In his interview for DIALOGUE ON EUROPE he talks about the structural reasons behind the rise of populist movements all over Europe, the failure of the traditional parties and why tax havens, unlike migration issues, are not part of the political agenda.
Populism is not the problem
Why we should focus on values in political debate instead of style
Populism is everywhere these days. Not only as a phenomenon but also as a topic in political discourse. Yet, the closer you look at it, the more you will realize that populism is quite a messy term. It signifies everything from an unease towards dissent, to the fear of a weakened democracy. More importantly, once you get a grip on how you define the term you will realize that populism may be destructive and inflammatory but is not the real problem. It is mostly a symptom for fundamental conflicts in society.
Security Pivot Towards a Police State in France
Populisms' Slippery Slope
The first European Thinking Lab took place from 25-27 November in Lisbon. During the Summit, the contributors cooperated within their Thinking Lab and worked out brief policy proposals. Félix Blanc is engaged with the topic of a Security Pivot towards a Police State in France.
Populism in Eastern Europe
An analysis of Elena Marcela Coman
Thwarting the Political Cleavages of Western Europe – What We Can Learn from Populists. Elena Marcela Coman outlines the historic trajectory and specific traits of populist movements in Eastern Europe.
My Populism is Bigger than Yours
The Trajectory of Populist Movements in Europe, Reasons for Their Success and Reactions of Established Parties
Mainstream parties seem to believe that refusing ideological attachments and claiming that the populists are “the others” will be enough for the citizens to recognize them as the ones offering providential solutions. The problem is that, while the gap between representatives and represented is not narrowed, between a soft populism and the real thing, dangerous “others” might take the place with rather scary alternatives.
Political Communication of Populist Parties: The cases of Podemos and AfD
The Digital Advantage and Social Media Authority of Populist Parties
The Spanish party Podemos and the German “Alternative for Germany” could not be, apparently, more opposed. However, there is one thing which brings them together: They both successfully use digital communication to reach their electorate in new, unmediated ways.