Populism’s signature traits are shared adaptations to disorganized democracy rather than its own

Evidence

Populism is, then, simply one of the various species inhabiting this new political “ecosystem” of disorganized democracy—alongside the new radical right and the liberal technocrats. It is particularly skilled at adapting itself to the new setting: its vast experience in articulating demands and its strong criticism of the current state of democracy perfectly match the spirit of our time. Organizationally, however, contemporary populism hardly resembles its historical precedents, with their dense networks of cooperatives, unions, and popular committees. To survive in the new environment, the populist left has adopted a light and digital form of organization. Contrary to an all-too-common view, however, the antiestablishment rhetoric, the strong leadership, the plebiscitarian modes of decision, the direct channels of communication and the weak party structures are not specific to populist actors. Rather, they characterize any new actor eager to thrive in our present environment—thus fostering the confusion in public debate, where Salvini, Macron, and Iglesias are often thrown together for this very reason. — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment, 83

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to work on right-wing/left-wing convergence in new populist movements (Judis, Mounk) and Norris-Inglehart cultural backlash debates. — connects to: Understanding today’s populism requires analogies to primal democracy rather than 1930s class war — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment: The Left After the…, 35; Populism is social democracy in times of group disorganization — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment: The Left After the…, 297; Populists became just one species within an ecosystem of disorganized democracy — Anton Jäger, Hyperpolitics: Extreme Politicization…, 184 (+2 more)
• DEFINE: Definitional point distinguishing organizational features of contemporary populism from its historical precedents.

Broader Connections

• Populists became just one species within an ecosystem of disorganized democracy #expands (0.85) — Anton Jäger, Hyperpolitics, 184
• Populism is social democracy in times of group disorganization #corroborates (0.78) — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment, 297
• Populism surges as a response to perceived crises of democratic representation #corroborates (0.72) — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment, 85
• Representation crises trigger populist breakthroughs across eras #corroborates (0.72) — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment, 80