Author Meets Critics: "Democracy's Resilience to Populism's Threat"

Session Submission Type: Author meet critics

Session Description

Book Description: he recent global wave of populist governments, which culminated in Donald Trump's victory in 2016, has convinced many observers that populism is a grave threat to democracy. In his new book, Kurt Weyland critiques recent scholarship for focusing too closely on cases where populist leaders have crushed democracy, and instead turns to the many cases where would populist-authoritarians have failed to overthrow democracy. Through a systematic comparative analysis of thirty populist chief executives in Latin America and Europe over the last four decades, Weyland reveals that populist leaders can only destroy democracy under special, restrictive conditions. Left-wing populists suffocate democracy only when benefitting from huge revenue windfalls, whereas right-wing populists must perform the heroic feat of resolving acute, severe crises. Because many populist chief executives do not face these propitious conditions, Weyland proves that despite populism's threat, democracy remains resilient.

Sub Unit

• Division 44: Democracy and Autocracy

Chair

• Matthew Rhodes-Purdy Clemson University

Presenters

• Maria Victoria Murillo Columbia University

• Kurt Weyland University of Texas at Austin

• John M. Sides Vanderbilt University

• Lenka Bustikova University of Florida

• Jana Morgan University of Tennessee, Knoxville