Contemporary US Populism in Comparative Perspective

Insights of comparativist political scholars explore how populism impacted the 2016 U.S. elections, as well as its continued effects today.

Populism has long been an important topic of study for political scientists studying other regions. With clear definitions, data, and methods for its measurement among politicians and voters, and a study of its impact on democracy around the globe, this element brings techniques to help scholars and policymakers place current events in perspective.With the victory of Donald Trump in the 2016 United States presidential election, populists have come to power in the US for the first time in many years. However, US political scientists have been flat-footed in their response, failing to anticipate or measure populism's impact on the campaign or to offer useful policy responses. In contrast, populism has long been an important topic of study for political scientists studying other regions, especially Latin America and Europe. The conceptual and theoretical insights of comparativist scholars can benefit Americanists, and applying their techniques can help US scholars and policymakers place events in perspective.