Welfare, democracy, and populism under the Covid-19 crisis

• Central Coordination Unit
• CIVICA Research

This public event is devoted to discussing how populist governments of the global North and South responded to the pandemic in the particular context of the demise of democratic institutions.

The Covid-19 pandemic posed multiple challenges for countries and governments all over the world. This public event is devoted to discussing how populist governments of the global North and South responded to the pandemic in the particular context of the demise of democratic institutions.

Our research within the CIVICA Research network analyses the relationship between populism, welfare and health policies, and democratic backsliding in a diverse set of countries including Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, Hungary and Poland. The research applies an interdisciplinary approach across social policy, political economy, and comparative politics in order to examine the content of policy changes as well as vital aspects of populist policy-making, such as procedures and discourse. This event aims to share and critically debate the first findings. The outcomes contribute to a new theorising of varieties of populist governance under the current era of crises. 

Photo credit: M-SUR - stock.adobe.com - POPULISM