Patrick Sawyer to speak on ' Populism and Protest Intensity: A Cross-National Analysis '

The Laboratory for Monitoring the Risks of Socio-Political Destabilization will hold a regular seminar that will take place on Thursday, August 20 at 14:30 (Moscow Time Zone).

Venue: Zoom videoconferencing platform. 

Speaker: Patrick Sawyer (National Research University Higher School of Economics) will present his research “Populism and Protest Intensity: A Cross-National Analysis”.

Abstract:

Populist studies are increasingly interested in the effects that populism has on the political systems of contemporary democracies. This article analyzes the relationship between populist parties and politicians and the intensity of political protest. Arguing that populists generate feelings of anger and outrage at the political mainstream, develop close relationships with social movements, and instigate further polarization and resistance from the opposition, the existence of populist actors in a political system is expected to generate more political protests. Empirical testing using cross-national figures considers the case of both the prevalence of populist parties in European countries and the existence of a populist politician as the head of government in European, Latin American, and North American countries. The results testify to strong positive correlations in both cases demonstrating the potential that populism has for socio-political destabilization.

Working language is English.

In order to prevent zoom bombing, registrants will be emailed an active link the day before the seminar to the email provided at registration.