SPUI25: Democracy Erodes from the Top: Leaders, Citizens, and the Challenge of Populism in Europe

A seeming explosion of support for right-wing populist parties has triggered widespread fears that liberal democracy is facing its worst crisis since the 1930s. In his book Democracy Erodes from the Top, Larry Bartels reveals that the real crisis stems not from an increasingly populist public but from political leaders who exploit or mismanage the chronic vulnerabilities of democracy. Bartels will engage in a conversation with Nik de Boer and Sarah de Lange. Moderator: Ursula Daxecker.

In this provocative book, Bartels dismantles the pervasive myth of a populist wave in contemporary European public opinion. While there has always been a substantial reservoir of populist sentiment, Europeans are no less trusting of their politicians and parliaments than they were two decades ago, no less enthusiastic about European integration, and no less satisfied with the workings of democracy. Electoral support for right-wing populist parties has increased only modestly, reflecting the idiosyncratic successes of populist entrepreneurs, the failures of mainstream parties, and media hype. Europe’s most sobering examples of democratic backsliding—in Hungary and Poland—occurred not because voters wanted authoritarianism but because conventional conservative parties, once elected, seized opportunities to entrench themselves in power.

By demonstrating the inadequacy of conventional bottom-up interpretations of Europe’s political crisis, Bartels turns our understanding of democratic politics upside down. At SPUI25, Bartels will present his book and consider the implications of his research in a discussion with Nik de Boer and Sarah de Lange that is moderated by Ursula Daxecker.

Registration: https://www.spui25.nl/programma/democracy-erodes-from-the-top-leaders-citizens-and-the-challenge-of-populism-in-europe/make_reservation
Additional information: https://www.spui25.nl/programma/democracy-erodes-from-the-top-leaders-citizens-and-the-challenge-of-populism-in-europe