There is a tendency in public debate to downplay the significance
of populism by attributing its rise to the inadequacies of those
who vote for populist leaders and parties. But this way of
thinking prevents us from seeing that the rise of populism may be
linked to problems and shortcomings in the way our democracies
work. In this important book, Armin Schäfer and Michael
Zürn argue that the rise of authoritarian populism is rooted in
two developments that are specifically political in character:
first, the takeover of parliaments by high-earning, highly educated
personnel; and second, the growing political role of
non-majoritarian institutions, like central banks and international
institutions, that remove decisions from public debate and entrust
them to experts. Contemporary democracy is increasingly
perceived as lacking openness and representativeness. More
and more citizens come to feel that politics is made by a closed
political class oblivious to the concerns of ordinary people, and
those who share this view are more likely to vote for authoritarian
populists. Although contemporary populists keep rubbing salt into
the wound of liberal democracy, their responses fail to solve the
problems of democratic politics. On the contrary, wherever
authoritarian-populist parties have come to power, they have
damaged democracy rather than expanding it or reducing existing
inequalities.
General
Imprint: |
Polity Press
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
November 2023 |
First published: |
2023 |
Authors: |
Armin Schäfer
• Michael Zürn
|
Translators: |
Stephen Curtis
|
Pages: |
225 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-5095-5876-6 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-5095-5876-4 |
Barcode: |
9781509558766 |
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