APSA Comparative Politics Newsletter: POPULISM: A Tale of Political and Economic Catastrophe

In this essay, we consider the following questions in turn: What is the economic playbook used by populists from both the left and the right, across time and place? Why does the populist playbook lead to economic crises? And how do economic crises themselves foster populism, in a vicious circle? Are Europe and the United States dangerously close to the path taken by Argentina under populist governments in the post-World War II era? To answer these questions, we use both historical and contemporary examples that include Argentina, Italy, Greece, and the US. Finally, given the economic collapse engendered by the Covid-19 pandemic, we forecast what might be in store for populism and liberal democracy.