Should History Change The Way We Think About Populism?

Alan de Bromhead and Kevin O'Rourke

No 31148, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: This paper asks whether history should change the way in which economists and economic historians think about populism. We use Müller’s definition, according to which populism is ‘an exclusionary form of identity politics, which is why it poses a threat to democracy’. We make three historical arguments. First, late 19th century US Populists were not populist. Second, there is no necessary relationship between populism and anti-globalization sentiment. Third, economists have sometimes been on the wrong side of important policy debates involving opponents rightly or wrongly described as populist. History encourages us to avoid an overly simplistic view of populism and its correlates.

JEL-codes: D72 N40 N70 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cdm, nep-his, nep-hpe and nep-pol
Note: DAE
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Published as Alan de Bromhead & Kevin Hjortshøj O'Rourke, 2024. "Should history change the way we think about populism?," The Economic History Review, vol 77(3), pages 1086-1109.

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Related works:
Journal Article: Should history change the way we think about populism? (2024)
Working Paper: Should history change the way we think about populism? (2023)
Working Paper: Should history change the way we think about populism? (2023)
Working Paper: Should history change the way we think about populism? (2023)
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