Rethinking the Populist Challenge to Democracy

Democracy faces ever-increasing challenges from illiberal and undemocratic political actors, including parties, politicians, and civil society groups. Compounding these pressures are complex, ‘wicked’ policy issues and ongoing crises threatening social cohesion and disrupting democratic procedures. At the same time, public trust is wavering, with more citizens questioning the effectiveness and superiority of existing democratic institutions and procedures. The divisive power of populism amplifies many of these challenges by offering tools and simplified narratives to political actors and citizens alike. Populism seeks to distil the complexities of the 21st century into more digestible frames, shaping how citizens structure their political opinions and express support. These challenges also call into question the adequacy of our political science theories, models, and measures. Do our foundational theories still capture how political actors and citizens perceive democracy—both in terms of how it should function and how it actually operates? Are our models still valid in depicting the relationship between values, attitudes, and political behaviour? And, importantly, are our empirical tools still capable of capturing the full spectrum of political behaviour and the factors that shape it? These questions highlight the urgent need to reevaluate our understanding of democracy in an era increasingly shaped by populist dynamics. This section invites panels and papers that explore both the impact of populism on democracy and the responses it has prompted, with a particular emphasis on innovation in theoretical frameworks, conceptual approaches, measurement, and methodology. We encourage submissions that propose fresh perspectives, apply novel approaches to longstanding issues, or conduct comparative studies across different regions. We are particularly interested in papers that analyse the interplay between populism and extremism, and the broader spectrum of political behaviour, including radicalization and the erosion of democratic values. We also welcome research that pushes the boundaries of existing knowledge, thereby enriching our understanding of populism's influence and the resilience of democratic systems in the face of it. Potential panel themes • Cross-continental (cross-national) comparison of populism and its relationship to democracy • New approaches to (measuring) populist and democratic attitudes • Anti-populist sentiments and movements • Populist answers to wicked policy problems • Populism and social movements • Democratic Backsliding and/or Institutional Resilience in the Face of Populism: Safeguards, Responses and/or Vulnerabilities • Populism, Civil Society, and Democracy • Populist Contamination of Mainstream Parties: Democratic Implications • The Populist Challenges to Political Representation • From Populism to Extremism? Social Cohesion Under Strain • The Role of Media and Social Media in Amplifying Populist and Extremist Narratives • Addressing the Roots of Populism and Extremism: Economic, Social, and Cultural Drivers • Extremism and Populism in Times of Crisis: Case Studies from Recent Global Events • The Relationship Between Populism, Nationalism, and Democratic Backsliding • Civic Responses to Populism and Extremism