Populism and Liberal Democracy
Stanford University’s Didi Kuo and Anna Grzymala-Busse join Julia Azari, Lee Drutman, and James Wallner on this week’s episode of Politics In Question. They consider the global phenomenon of populism and the threat it poses to democracies around the world. Kuo is the Associate Director for Research and Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at Stanford University. Grzymala-Busse is the Michelle and Kevin Douglas Professor of International Studies and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. They are the co-authors of a new report, “Global Populisms And Their Challenges,” with Francis Fukuyama and Michael McFaul. The report examines the nature of the threat populism poses to democracies around the world and potential solutions for its rise.
Does populism threaten democracy? What do we mean by populism? Why do so many people believe that populism is incompatible with liberal democracy? And how worried should Americans be about its rise in the United States? Will populist candidates be successful in the upcoming elections there? These are some of the questions Didi, Anna, Julia, Lee, and James discuss on this week’s episode.
Politics In Question is a podcast about how our political institutions are failing us and ideas for fixing them. It is a joint venture of New America and the R Street Institute. The show is produced by Elena Souris and engineered by Shannon Lynch. It is recorded in the studios at New America in Washington, D.C.