Populism surges as a response to perceived crises of democratic representation

Evidence

Rehabilitation through history, however, gives us a different story: democracy is, in fact, at the core of populist claims. The flower of populism only blossoms when there is a perceived crisis of representation. Van Rompuy, after all, was speaking in a specific capacity, as the informal leader of a group of countries that were set to impose rigid austerity on reluctant populations, while bypassing the most elementary forms of democratic control. A few years later, Jean-Claude Juncker would be even more explicit, claiming that “there can be no democratic choice against the European Treaties.” The ease with which powerful European figures were dismissing democracy itself spoke volumes. — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment, 85

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the democratic-deficit literature on the EU and Mounk’s ‘people vs. elites’ framing. — connects to: Populist breakthroughs erupt when social democratic alternatives fail and mediation channels clog — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment: The Left After the…, 80; Populism’s signature traits are shared adaptations to disorganized democracy rather than its own — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment: The Left After the…, 83; Representation crises trigger populist breakthroughs across eras — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment: The Left After the…, 80 (+1 more)
• QUESTION: The ‘flower of populism blossoms only under crisis of representation’ — is that falsifiable or a post-hoc framing of what counts as representation?

Broader Connections

• Representation crises trigger populist breakthroughs across eras #corroborates (0.95) — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment, 80
• Crises, real or imagined, drive popular support for nationalist and populist leaders #corroborates (0.90) — Erin K. Jenne and Promise Frank Ejiofor, Ethnopopulism and genocidal…, 82