Political Elites, Populism and Legitimacy

Abstract

There is an on-going discussion that modern democracies are under attack or threatened by the loss of political support of the public, the rise of populist parties and the demand for a more participatory democracy. At the core of democracy is the idea that it is the people who are sovereign and that it is the people who should be represented. This can at times, seem to be at odds with how democracy is implemented, which we have become to know as liberal democracies. One way to look at this is that disenchantment with the established political system and the feeling of alienation form elite politics can undermine the perceived legitimacy of the political system. Another perspective is to regard this as a on-going development of liberal democracy and an opportunity for renewal and strengthening of the existing political system. This panel brings together papers what factors can undermine the legitimacy of the political system, focusing on the role of the political elite, the functionalities and dys-functionalities of the established political system, voters‘ expectations, support of anti-establishment parties, such as populist parties, and whether the alleged challenges to liberal democracies are a threat to it or whether those challenges can be perceived as an opportunity for liberal democracy to be more responsive.