Populism and its networks: diffusion, learning, and illiberal policy change

• Max Weber Programme for Postdoctoral Studies
• Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies
• TD21 - Trasnational Democracy in the 21st century

MWP Multidisciplinary Research Workshop

Populism and illiberalism have firmly entrenched themselves in global politics, with parties across the globe combining the ‘thin’ rhetoric of populism with a variety of ‘thick’ ideologies (Mudde 2004; 2014). While these cases were initially highly specific, with each country giving rise to its own national variant, in recent years the durability of populist parties has embedded them in existing networks of NGOs, think-tanks, and religious organizations. Into these networks they have introduced their own party- or ideology-specific groups, and co-opted existing ones, helping to impact the legal and political milieu of their countries and sometimes of other countries too. The rise of such formal groups begs the question of under what conditions do populist politics and illiberal public policy diffuse? Are these groups creating a coherent ideological platform, a positive vision of public policy that can transcend national borders? Under what conditions are they successful in doing so?  

To address these questions, this one-day workshop intends to bring scholars from across the humanities and social sciences to study the diffusion of radical right-wing populism (RRP) and illiberal policy within the European Union (EU). As a laboratory for RRP politics, and a prime location for diffusion, the EU would be a sine qua non region in which to study the origination, implementation, and promotion of RRP politics and illiberal diffusion.