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POPULISM IN A SOCIETY WITH AN EXCESS OF CHALLENGES: THE THREAT TO DEMOCRACY OR THE POSSIBILITY OF ITS CORRECTION?

stmm. 2022 (3): 65-80

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2022.03.065

OLEKSANDR REZNIK, Doctor of Sciences in Sociology, Senior Research Fellow, Head of the Department of Social and Political Processes, Institute of Sociology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (12, Shovkovychna St., Kyiv, 01021)

oleksanderreznik@gmail.com

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5201-8489

The phenomenon of growing support for populist parties and relevant orientations among the world's population is usually defined as a threat to democracy, social unity, and civic activism. The psychological appeal of populist ideas is based on the human need for collective identity, social cohesion, categorization of social life, predictability and sense of security as well as moral absolutism and support for conspiracy theories. This leads to the spread of confrontational discourse in the public sphere, support for authoritarianism and deepening social cleavages. However, empirical researches show the ambiguous focus of populist orientations in support of anti-democratic ideas. In fact, citizens with populist orientations should not be unambiguously identified with voters of populist parties. Because of its mobilizing potential, populism can make the democratic process more inclusive, as people with populist orientations support deliberative forms of democracy. In some cases, populist mobilization become useful in emergencies, such as the overthrow of an authoritarian regime or resistance to the enemy during war. However, populism can be an obstacle in trying to reform state institutions, as the absolutization of simplistic forms of government and the propensity for authoritarianism common among populists block civic initiative.

Keywords: populism, democracy, society with an excess of challenges.

References

Albertazzi, D., Mueller, S. (2013). Populism and liberal democracy: populists in government in Austria, Italy, Poland and Switzerland. Government and Opposition, 48 (3), 343–371.

Anduiza, E., Guinjoan, M., Rico, G. (2019). Populism, participation, and political equality. European Political Science Review, 11 (1), 109–124.

Arditi, B. (2003). Populism, or, politics at the edges of democracy. Contemporary Politics, 9 (1), 17–31

Ash, K., Shapovalov, M. (2022). Populism for the ambivalent: anti-polarization and support for Ukraine’s Sluha Narodu party. Post-Soviet Affairs. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1060586X.2022.2082823

Canovan, M. (1999). Trust the people! Populism and the two faces of democracy. Political Studies, 47 (1), 2–16.

Castanho Silva, B., Andreadis, I., Anduiza, E., Blanuša, N., Corti, Y.M., Delfino, G., Rico, G., Ruth, S. P., Spruyt, B., Steenbergen, M., Littvay, L. (2018). Public Opinion Surveys: A New Scale. In: K. Hawkins, R. Carlin, L. Littvay, R. Kaltwasser (Eds.), The Ideational Approach to Populism: Concept, Theory, and Analysis (pp. 150–178). London: Routledge.

Dijk, G.H.S. van (2018). Populist attitudes and political participation: hand and glove? : Analysing populist citizens’ participation in political claim-making. Master thesis. University of Twente. URL: https://essay.utwente.nl/76892/

Feldman, S. (2021). Authoritarianism, Education, and Support for Right-Wing Populism. In: J.P. Forgas, W.D. Crano, K. Fiedler (Eds.), The Psychology of Populism: The Tribal Challenge to Liberal Democracy (pp. 348–364). New York: Routledge.

Forgas, J.P. (2021). The Psychology of Populism: Tribal Challenges to Liberal Democracy. Sydney: Centre for Independent Studies.

Jacobs, K., Akkerman, A., Zaslove, A. (2018). The voice of populist people? Referendum preferences, practices and populist attitudes. Acta Politica, 53 (4), 517–541.

Kuzio, T. (2018). Populism in Ukraine and Europe: Similar but Also Different. In: K. Segbers (Ed.), Populism in Europe: An Overview. CGP working papers, 09/2018 (pp. 16–31). Berlin: Freie Universität Berlin.

Levitsky, S., Loxton, J. (2012). Populism and competitive authoritarianism: the case of Fujimori’s Peru. In: C. Mudde, C. Rovira Kaltwasser (Eds.), Populism in Europe and the Americas: Threat or Corrective for Democracy? (pp. 160–181). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Makeev, S. (2020). To justify populism. [In Ukrainian]. Sociology: theory, methods, marketing, 1, 159–164. [= Макеєв 2020]

Meny, Y., Surel, Y. (2002). The Constitutive Ambiguity of Populism. In: Y. Meny, Y. Surel (Eds.), Democracies and the Populist Challenge (pp. 1–21). London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Mohrenberg, S., Huber, R.A., Freyburg, T. (2021). Love at first sight? Populist attitudes and support for direct democracy. Party Politics, 27 (3), 528–539.

Mudde, C. (2004). The Populist Zeitgeist. Government and Opposition, 39 (4), 542–563.

Mudde, C., Rovira Kaltwasser, C. (2012). Populism: corrective and threat to democracy. In: C. Mudde, C. Rovira Kaltwasser (Eds.), Populism in Europe and the Americas: Threat or Corrective for Democracy? (pp. 205–222). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Panina, N.V. (2005). Ukrainian society 1994–2005: sociological monitoring. [In Ukrainian]. Kyiv: Sofia Publishing House LLC. [= Паніна 2005]

Parashchevin, M. (2018). Annual nationwide survey results for the years 1992–2018. [In Ukrainian]. Ukrainian Society: Monitoring of Social Changes, 5 (19), 415–525. [= Паращевін 2018]

Pauwels, T. (2014). Populism in Western Europe: Comparing Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands. London: Routledge.

Pew Research Center (2021). Many in U.S., Western Europe Say Their Political System Needs Major Reform. URL: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/03/31/many-in-us-western-europe-say-their-political-system-needs-major-reform/

Reznik, O. (2011). Civil Practices in the Transition Society: Factors, Subjects, Methods of Realization. [In Ukrainian]. Kyiv: Institute of Sociology of the NAS of Ukraine. [= Резнік 2011]

Reznik, O. (2015). Participants of the Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity: a Comparison of Value Orientations. [In Ukrainian]. Social Dimensions of Society, 7 (18), 66–74. [= Резнік 2015]

Rummens, S. (2017). Populism as a Threat to Liberal Democracy. In: C. Rovira Kaltwasser, P. Taggart, P. Espejo, P. Ostiguy (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Populism (pp. 554–570). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Shulha, M. (2018). Signs of societal imbalance (Afteword). [In Ukrainian]. Ukrainian Society: Monitoring of Social Changes, 5 (19), 396–414. [= Шульга 2018]

Shulha, M. (2019). An overchallenged society (In lieu of an afterword). [In Ukrainian]. Ukrainian Society: Monitoring of Social Changes, 6 (20), 397–412. [= Шульга 2019]

Taggart, P. (2002). Populism and the Pathology of Representative Politics. In: Y. Mény, Y. Surel (Eds.), Democracies and the Populist Challenge (pp. 62–80). New York: Palgrave.

Urbinati, N. (1998). Democracy and populism. Constellations, 5 (1), 110–24.

Webb, P. (2013). Who is Willing to Participate? Dissatisfied Democrats, Stealth Democrats and Populists in the United Kingdom. European Journal of Political Research, 52 (6), 747–772.

Yakymenko, Y., Yurchyshyn, V., Zamiatin, V. (2019). Ukraine-2019: Cautiously Optimistic. Kyiv: The Razumkov Centre. URL: https://razumkov.org.ua/uploads/article/2019_Vybory_Ukraine.pdf

Zaslove, A., Geurkink, B., Jacobs, K., Akkerman, A. (2021). Power to the people? Populism, democracy, and political participation: a citizen's perspective. West European Politics, 44 (4), 727–751.

Received 19.07.2022

POPULISM IN A SOCIETY WITH AN EXCESS OF CHALLENGES: THE THREAT TO DEMOCRACY OR THE POSSIBILITY OF ITS CORRECTION?

stmm. 2022 (3): 65-80

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2022.03.065

OLEKSANDR REZNIK, Doctor of Sciences in Sociology, Senior Research Fellow, Head of the Department of Social and Political Processes, Institute of Sociology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (12, Shovkovychna St., Kyiv, 01021)

oleksanderreznik@gmail.com

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5201-8489

The phenomenon of growing support for populist parties and relevant orientations among the world's population is usually defined as a threat to democracy, social unity, and civic activism. The psychological appeal of populist ideas is based on the human need for collective identity, social cohesion, categorization of social life, predictability and sense of security as well as moral absolutism and support for conspiracy theories. This leads to the spread of confrontational discourse in the public sphere, support for authoritarianism and deepening social cleavages. However, empirical researches show the ambiguous focus of populist orientations in support of anti-democratic ideas. In fact, citizens with populist orientations should not be unambiguously identified with voters of populist parties. Because of its mobilizing potential, populism can make the democratic process more inclusive, as people with populist orientations support deliberative forms of democracy. In some cases, populist mobilization become useful in emergencies, such as the overthrow of an authoritarian regime or resistance to the enemy during war. However, populism can be an obstacle in trying to reform state institutions, as the absolutization of simplistic forms of government and the propensity for authoritarianism common among populists block civic initiative.

Keywords: populism, democracy, society with an excess of challenges.

References

Albertazzi, D., Mueller, S. (2013). Populism and liberal democracy: populists in government in Austria, Italy, Poland and Switzerland. Government and Opposition, 48 (3), 343–371.

Anduiza, E., Guinjoan, M., Rico, G. (2019). Populism, participation, and political equality. European Political Science Review, 11 (1), 109–124.

Arditi, B. (2003). Populism, or, politics at the edges of democracy. Contemporary Politics, 9 (1), 17–31

Ash, K., Shapovalov, M. (2022). Populism for the ambivalent: anti-polarization and support for Ukraine’s Sluha Narodu party. Post-Soviet Affairs. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1060586X.2022.2082823

Canovan, M. (1999). Trust the people! Populism and the two faces of democracy. Political Studies, 47 (1), 2–16.

Castanho Silva, B., Andreadis, I., Anduiza, E., Blanuša, N., Corti, Y.M., Delfino, G., Rico, G., Ruth, S. P., Spruyt, B., Steenbergen, M., Littvay, L. (2018). Public Opinion Surveys: A New Scale. In: K. Hawkins, R. Carlin, L. Littvay, R. Kaltwasser (Eds.), The Ideational Approach to Populism: Concept, Theory, and Analysis (pp. 150–178). London: Routledge.

Dijk, G.H.S. van (2018). Populist attitudes and political participation: hand and glove? : Analysing populist citizens’ participation in political claim-making. Master thesis. University of Twente. URL: https://essay.utwente.nl/76892/

Feldman, S. (2021). Authoritarianism, Education, and Support for Right-Wing Populism. In: J.P. Forgas, W.D. Crano, K. Fiedler (Eds.), The Psychology of Populism: The Tribal Challenge to Liberal Democracy (pp. 348–364). New York: Routledge.

Forgas, J.P. (2021). The Psychology of Populism: Tribal Challenges to Liberal Democracy. Sydney: Centre for Independent Studies.

Jacobs, K., Akkerman, A., Zaslove, A. (2018). The voice of populist people? Referendum preferences, practices and populist attitudes. Acta Politica, 53 (4), 517–541.

Kuzio, T. (2018). Populism in Ukraine and Europe: Similar but Also Different. In: K. Segbers (Ed.), Populism in Europe: An Overview. CGP working papers, 09/2018 (pp. 16–31). Berlin: Freie Universität Berlin.

Levitsky, S., Loxton, J. (2012). Populism and competitive authoritarianism: the case of Fujimori’s Peru. In: C. Mudde, C. Rovira Kaltwasser (Eds.), Populism in Europe and the Americas: Threat or Corrective for Democracy? (pp. 160–181). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Makeev, S. (2020). To justify populism. [In Ukrainian]. Sociology: theory, methods, marketing, 1, 159–164. [= Макеєв 2020]

Meny, Y., Surel, Y. (2002). The Constitutive Ambiguity of Populism. In: Y. Meny, Y. Surel (Eds.), Democracies and the Populist Challenge (pp. 1–21). London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Mohrenberg, S., Huber, R.A., Freyburg, T. (2021). Love at first sight? Populist attitudes and support for direct democracy. Party Politics, 27 (3), 528–539.

Mudde, C. (2004). The Populist Zeitgeist. Government and Opposition, 39 (4), 542–563.

Mudde, C., Rovira Kaltwasser, C. (2012). Populism: corrective and threat to democracy. In: C. Mudde, C. Rovira Kaltwasser (Eds.), Populism in Europe and the Americas: Threat or Corrective for Democracy? (pp. 205–222). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Panina, N.V. (2005). Ukrainian society 1994–2005: sociological monitoring. [In Ukrainian]. Kyiv: Sofia Publishing House LLC. [= Паніна 2005]

Parashchevin, M. (2018). Annual nationwide survey results for the years 1992–2018. [In Ukrainian]. Ukrainian Society: Monitoring of Social Changes, 5 (19), 415–525. [= Паращевін 2018]

Pauwels, T. (2014). Populism in Western Europe: Comparing Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands. London: Routledge.

Pew Research Center (2021). Many in U.S., Western Europe Say Their Political System Needs Major Reform. URL: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/03/31/many-in-us-western-europe-say-their-political-system-needs-major-reform/

Reznik, O. (2011). Civil Practices in the Transition Society: Factors, Subjects, Methods of Realization. [In Ukrainian]. Kyiv: Institute of Sociology of the NAS of Ukraine. [= Резнік 2011]

Reznik, O. (2015). Participants of the Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity: a Comparison of Value Orientations. [In Ukrainian]. Social Dimensions of Society, 7 (18), 66–74. [= Резнік 2015]

Rummens, S. (2017). Populism as a Threat to Liberal Democracy. In: C. Rovira Kaltwasser, P. Taggart, P. Espejo, P. Ostiguy (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Populism (pp. 554–570). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Shulha, M. (2018). Signs of societal imbalance (Afteword). [In Ukrainian]. Ukrainian Society: Monitoring of Social Changes, 5 (19), 396–414. [= Шульга 2018]

Shulha, M. (2019). An overchallenged society (In lieu of an afterword). [In Ukrainian]. Ukrainian Society: Monitoring of Social Changes, 6 (20), 397–412. [= Шульга 2019]

Taggart, P. (2002). Populism and the Pathology of Representative Politics. In: Y. Mény, Y. Surel (Eds.), Democracies and the Populist Challenge (pp. 62–80). New York: Palgrave.

Urbinati, N. (1998). Democracy and populism. Constellations, 5 (1), 110–24.

Webb, P. (2013). Who is Willing to Participate? Dissatisfied Democrats, Stealth Democrats and Populists in the United Kingdom. European Journal of Political Research, 52 (6), 747–772.

Yakymenko, Y., Yurchyshyn, V., Zamiatin, V. (2019). Ukraine-2019: Cautiously Optimistic. Kyiv: The Razumkov Centre. URL: https://razumkov.org.ua/uploads/article/2019_Vybory_Ukraine.pdf

Zaslove, A., Geurkink, B., Jacobs, K., Akkerman, A. (2021). Power to the people? Populism, democracy, and political participation: a citizen's perspective. West European Politics, 44 (4), 727–751.

Received 19.07.2022

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