A Pandemic of Populists

Explores the rise of populism in power, focusing on its causes, characteristics, impact on democracy, and how to fight back.

Wojciech Sadurski (Author)

9781009224536, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 14 July 2022

212 pages
22.8 x 15.1 x 1.4 cm, 0.38 kg

'In its attention to both the similarities and the differences among populist regimes around the world, this comparative analysis offers a skillful portrait of the diversity of modern populisms … Recommended.' S. Mitropolitski, Choice

Over the last decade, the world has watched in shock as populists swept to power in free elections. From Manila to Warsaw, Brasilia to Budapest, the populist tide has shattered illusions of an inexorable march to liberal democracy. Eschewing simplistic notions of a unified global populism, this book unpacks the diversity and plurality of populisms. It highlights the variety of constitutional and extraconstitutional strategies that populists have used to undermine the institutional fabric of liberal democracy and investigates how ruling populists responded to the Covid-19 crisis. Outlining the rise of populisms and their governing styles, Wojciech Sadurski focuses on what populists in power do, rather than what they say. Confronting one of the most pressing concerns of international politics, this book offers a vibrant, contemporary account of modern populisms and, significantly, considers what we can do to fight back.

1. Why populisms?
2. The war on institutions
3. Constitutions: breaches, abuses, and literal democracy
4. Courts: the least resilient branch
5. Paranoia
6. Democracy diseased: populism in the time of Covid
7. Antidotes, remedies, and miracles
Annex: country selection explanation.

Subject Areas: Constitutional & administrative law [LND], Comparative law [LAM], Jurisprudence & general issues [LA], Comparative politics [JPB]