Populism and democracy in a comparative perspective
Etablissement : ESPOL European School of Political and Social Sciences
Langue : Anglais
Formation(s) dans laquelle/lesquelles le cours apparait :
Période : S3
Populism has become a widely debated and well-researched theme. The term is often illdefined and used in a pejorative manner, contributing to misconceptions and inaccurate interpretations of what is populism and, more importantly, what it is not. The course is research-oriented and will introduce participants to an extensive conceptual, theoretical and empirical scholarship on populism. This will provide participants with a more precise understanding of the concept and allow for consideration of the various ways we can examine populism. Building on this, the course discusses instances of populism in various contexts and reflects on the ambivalent relationship between populism and democracy. Throughout this discussion, the course explicitly takes a comparative approach and relies both on quantitative and qualitative analyses in support of its discussions. Special attention will be paid to the core features of populism, such as anti-elitism and popular sovereignty, as well as its causes and consequences for democratic functioning. In a time of increasing challenges to the core components of representative democracy, this course provides an introduction to populism in theory and practice, employing an increasingly consensual ideational approach to populism. It introduces participants to an extensive conceptual debate, historical and current populist forces, their characteristics, causes and consequences, as well as the often-ambivalent relationship between populism and democracy.
This class will address the following main issues:
– concepts of populism (assessment of definitions and presentation of populism as a set of ideas) – overview of populism amongst the masses and elites – overview of populist forces in Europe, Latin America and the USA – causes of populism – consequences of populism, and most notably its ambivalent relationship with democracy – implications of and responses to populism This course aims to introduce students to some of the most relevant issues and debates revolving around populism, its causes and consequences. Readings and activities have been carefully selected to deepen students’ knowledge of specific cases. They are also designed to build more general critical thinking and analytical skills that students can use to form their own understanding of the relationship between populism and democracy, as well as present their views in both oral and written formats. More generally, students will be able to: – Competently engage in an academic discussion on the essence, the causes and the impact of populism. – Link specific cases of populist mobilization or populist governance with general trends of socio-cultural and/or socio-economic change. – Discuss the relationships between social structure, political culture and political institutions in shaping the way populism (may) interact(s) with democracy. – Develop a deeper understanding of logic and use of the comparative method: gather, organise and deploy evidence/data in a comparative perspective. – Develop research, writing and presentation skills. – Work independently, demonstrating initiative, self-organisation and time-management.
In order to acquire a good understanding of the complexities inherent in political matters and the varieties of opinions that exist on any one topic, it is necessary to read a wide range of sources in order to engage with the debates in a critical fashion. Reading widely is vital if students are to be able to substantiate their arguments empirically. Reading lists are not exhaustive and students are encouraged to look for and draw on other academically appropriate source material. Please note that the reading list only provides core readings. That means it is not exhaustive, nor is it intended to be complete. Additional readings can provide more in-depth accounts on a particular week’s topic or on a specific application of that topic. Students are encouraged to look for and draw on other academically appropriate source materials and go beyond these readings in their preparation for the seminars, as well as their assessments. Students are expected to perform literature searches for relevant texts, such as journal articles and academic books using, for example, Web of Science and Google Scholar (not Google!). For advice on such searches or recommendations of additional literature, students can consult with the module leader during feedback and consultation hours. Each session lists a set of required and complementary readings. The required readings are must-read materials that students should consult before coming to class. They convey crucial knowledge that will be assumed and expanded on during the corresponding sessions. In other words, lectures will not (only) reiterate what is in the required readings, but rather build on and go beyond them. The complementary readings are additional key materials that we will go over in class or that provide more detailed information about topics touched upon during class. While it is most useful to also consult these before attending the corresponding sessions, they can also be consulted afterwards for the purpose of clarification. For the exam, both sets of readings are part of students’ expected knowledge base. All readings are available through Google Scholar and the library. The book “The ideational approach to populism” (2019), edited by Kirk Hawkins, Ryan Carlin, Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser and Levente Littvay, is available here with a library connection.
