What is populism?

This work argues that at populism's core is a rejection of pluralism. Populists will always claim that they and they alone represent the people and their true interests. Müller also shows that, contrary to conventional wisdom, populists can govern on the basis of their claim to exclusive moral...

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Main Author: Müller, Jan-Werner, 1970- (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language: English
Published: Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, [2016]
Subjects:
Summary: This work argues that at populism's core is a rejection of pluralism. Populists will always claim that they and they alone represent the people and their true interests. Müller also shows that, contrary to conventional wisdom, populists can govern on the basis of their claim to exclusive moral representation of the people: if populists have enough power, they will end up creating an authoritarian state that excludes all those not considered part of the proper "people." The book proposes a number of concrete strategies for how liberal democrats should best deal with populists and, in particular, how to counter their claims to speak exclusively for "the silent majority" or "the real people." - Provided by the publisher.
Physical Description: 123 pages ; 23 cm.
Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (pages 105-119).
ISBN: 0812248988
9780812248982
Author Notes: Jan-Werner Muller is Professor of Politics at Princeton University. He is author of several books, most recently Contesting Democracy: Political Ideas in Twentieth Century Europe. He contributes regularly to London Review of Books, the Guardian, and the New York Review of Books.