Trust the People! Populism and the Two Faces of Democracy

Abstract

Populism, understood as an appeal to ‘the people’ against both the established structure of power and the dominant ideas and values, should not be dismissed as a pathological form of politics of no interest to the political theorist, for its democratic pretensions raise important issues. Adapting Michael Oakeshott's distinction between ‘the politics of faith’ and ‘the politics of scepticism’, the paper offers an analysis of democracy in terms of two opposing faces, one ‘pragmatic’ and the other ‘redemptive’, and argues that it is the inescapable tension between them that makes populism a perennial possibility.

Jokowi’s Populism, Wealth and Local Democracy in Solo City

“…This paper claims that these characteristics can be seen from populist programmatic politics. A populist often but not always use 'the lower or marginalized' as his/her basis of strategy [4]. Thirdly, a populist rebels an established structure of power in the name of the people [3][4] a populist in the name of people may fight against betraying elites in charge.…”

“…A populist often but not always use 'the lower or marginalized' as his/her basis of strategy [4]. Thirdly, a populist rebels an established structure of power in the name of the people [3][4] a populist in the name of people may fight against betraying elites in charge. Fourth, accentuating voices of 'silent majority' [4].…”

“…Thirdly, a populist rebels an established structure of power in the name of the people [3][4] a populist in the name of people may fight against betraying elites in charge. Fourth, accentuating voices of 'silent majority' [4]. The four modes will be employed as an anti-status quo discourse that simplifies the political space by symbolically dividing society between 'the people' as underdogs) and its 'other' [5].…”

Democracia, Pueblo Y Populismo: Una Articulación Conflictiva

“…En los términos de Margaret Canovan (1999), se produjo debido a una tensión entre las promesas redentoras de la democracia y el pragmatismo de la política. Esta autora ofreció una versión suave del asunto, influenciada posiblemente por los desafíos planteados a las democracias representativas por partidos y organizaciones de extrema derecha de inesperada eficacia electoral, estimulados -de acuerdo con las hipótesis frecuentes-por el deterioro y crisis del Estado de bienestar y sus mecanismos de protección social, así como por el impacto recesivo de los ajustes y reformas emprendidas por gobiernos socialdemócratas.…”

“…Los señalamien-tos sobre el carácter a un mismo tiempo distorsionador y restaurador que el populismo desempeñaría con relación a la democracia en su vertiente liberal (Zanatta, 2014;Arditi, 2009;Mèny y Surel, 2002;Canovan, 1999;Taguieff, 1997) apuntan a esa particularidad que expresa el intento de recomposición de una relación de representación democrática que se juzga desvirtuada por los sesgos y discriminaciones institucionales que favorecen a las élites del poder económico local, foráneo o ambos.…”