Populism:

A thin ideology?Peter Achterberg, Professor of Sociology, Tilburg U.

Populism – a slippery concept

Populist movements have systems of beliefs which

are diffuse; they are inherently difficult to control

and organize; they lack consistency, and their

activity waxes and wanes with a bewildering

frequency. Populism is a difficult, slippery

concept…(Paul Taggart, 2000: 1-2)

Populism – a ‘minimal’ definition

Hugo Chaves versus Marine le Pen

What do they have in common?

A ‘thin’ ideology

• Progressive, reactionary, democratic, authoritarian, left and right:

• EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE POSSIBLE!!

• ‘Empty heart’, ‘thin ideology’ (Mudde, 2004)

• Opposed to a ‘full ideology’ which has the capacity to put forward

a wide ranging and coherent program for the solution to crucial

political questions (Stanley, 2008)

• Yet, there is a core in this thin ideology!

• And, there always is a connection to a grand narrative / ideology!

Three questions:

1. What is this core ideology?

2. Why do populists need a host ideology?

3. Who, and why, do people actually support such a thin ideology?

(And why?)

1. From antagonism to ideology

• Populist discourse: Antagonism between the elite and the people…

• For example: Wilders criticizing political elites…

• For example: Hugo Chaves criticizing international business

elites…

• Populist discourse can start @ any time @any place where

• Logic of difference (people accept differences) is traded in for…

• Logic of equivalence (people feel equal, but are disappointed all

the time)

• Mobilizing role of populist leadership!

1. The core of this thin ideology

• An ideology that considers society to be ultimately separated into

two homogeneous and antagonistic groups: ‘the pure people’ versus

the ‘corrupt elite’, and which argues that politics should be seen as

an expression of the volonté genérale of the people (Mudde, 2004:

543)

Three questions:

1. What is this core ideology?

2. Why do populists need a host ideology?

3. Who, and why, do people actually support such a thin ideology?

(And why?)

2: Why do populists need a host ideology?

• Knowing who are the good guys and who are the bad ones probably

doesn’t solve all problems in the nation?

• The need for a host ideology…

• No or little guidance what to think about complex political issues

• The will of the people is also reflected in popular ideologies

• Allows for differing host ideologies?

• Yes! (Next slide)

• Not all ideologies are suitable: Antagonistic core needs to be

in line with host ideology!!

2. Neoliberalism as a host ideology

• Politics is all about bread and butter issues – ‘It’s the economy

stupid’

• Neoliberal zeitgeist: Trust in the market over state!!!

• In earlier scholarly work on populism:

• Talk of ‘neoliberal populism’ (Betz)

• Talk of a ‘winning formula’ (Kitschelt) - - - > success for those

populists embracing neoliberalism….

2:Neoliberalism as a host ideology

• However:

• Eastern European populist parties:

• Embrace state protectionism and economically leftist ideas

• Neoliberal stances are completely missing (Markovski, 2002)

• More recent developments:

• Populist parties started to adopt ‘third way’ (socially liberal)

ideologies from the nineties onwards

• For example Vlaams blok (now: Vlaams Belang)

2: Neoliberalism as a host ideology

• Rise of ‘nativist economics’ among populists

• Embracing protectionism

• Embracing regulation

• Embracing de-privatization

• And embracing welfare chauvinism….

• Populist parties in Europe aren’t that neo-liberal anymore!!!

Three questions:

1. What is this core ideology?

2. Why do populists need a host ideology?

3. Who, and why, do people actually support such a thin ideology?

(And why?)

3. Who supports such a thin ideology? (And

why?)

• Arguments frequently made in the literature:

• Cross-class base – all classes can adhere to populist

ideologies…(Mudde, 2007)

• Schizophrenic economic agenda suits this cross-class base very

well…(E.g. Achterberg et al 2010)

• Yet, the question of whom supports the ideological core of

antagonism between the people and elites is seldomly studied…

• Research by Elchardus and Spruyt (2014) does just that!

3. Supporting populist ideology

3. Supporting populist ideology

• Taking this ideology as a dependent, they find:

• Lower income groups and lower educated support this ideology

(overwhelmingly) because….

• They feel relatively deprived and consider this a form of

discrimination against ‘people like us’

• They are nostalgic (they want a world/society that has been

lost and hope populists will redress the situation)

Three answers:

1. What is this core ideology?

• Antagonism between ‘the pure people’ and ‘corrupt elites’, politics as an expression of the general will of the people…

2. Why do populists need a host ideology?

• To provide political answers that cannot be answered by the core ideology…

3. Who, and why, do people actually support such a thin ideology? (And why?)

• Especially lower socio-economic groups, because of feelings of nostalgia and relative deprivation…

Populism in comparative perspective

• Master course Sociology

• Wide range of themes: Voting behavior, political communication,

anti-institutionalism, religion and populism, comparative research

on populism….

• One paper, written exam…

• Lectures and seminars…