Recent political events – from Trump’s election to the outcome of the Brexit Referendum - have somehow caught the world by surprise, and are contributing to a growing sense of concern or even alarm about the future of the Western world and, particularly, Western democracies as we know them.

When looking at the political landscape in Europe, populism looks like an unprecedented game-changer. Populist parties are in power in Poland and Hungary, they are in the coalition governments in Switzerland and Finland, top the polls in France and the Netherlands, and their support is at record highs in Sweden. Not to mention the recent rise of Alternative für Deutschland in Germany and the successful story of Syriza, Podemos and of the Five Stars Movement in Southern Europe.

The volume explores the rise of populism in Europe and the US by analyzing its root causes and the rationale behind its success. It also draws some policy recommendations to tackle the populist challenge. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

1. Populism and the Crisis of Representative Democracy, Alberto Martinelli

2. UKIP and Front National: Different Paths to Populism, Matthew Goodwin

3. Five Strs Movement, Syriza and Podemos: A Mediterranean Model?, Paolo Segatti and Francesco Capuzzi

4. The "Demand Side" of Populism: The Case of Poland, Piotr Sztompka

5. Made in USA: Populism Beyond Europe, Kirk Hawkins with Rebecca Dudley and Wen Jie (Fred) Tan

CONCLUSIONS. POLICY IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EU, Alberto Martinelli