
From Conspiracy Theory to State Policy: Trump, MAGA, and the Specter of ‘Cultural Marxism’
US President Donald Trump's intervention in the Smithsonian Institution signals a new phase in America's culture wars. In this insightful ...

Dr. Folsz: Even Deeply Entrenched Competitive Authoritarian Regimes Have Vulnerabilities
For years, Hungary stood as the defining case of democratic backsliding within the European Union. Yet the 2026 election has ...

Assoc. Prof. Gamboa: By the Time the Authoritarian Threat Becomes Evident, It’s Usually Too Late
Drawing on comparative evidence from Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala, Mexico, and beyond, Associate Professor Laura Gamboa offers a compelling rethinking of ...

Eric Hacopian: Armenia Won’t Become Turkey, but the Warning Signs Are There
Armenia stands at a critical crossroads. In the aftermath of the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh, amid efforts to normalize relations with ...

Prof. Corrales: Even Rigged Elections Can Still Produce Competitive Outcomes
At a time when democratic backsliding, populist polarization, and executive aggrandizement dominate political debate across the globe, Professor Javier Corrales ...

Prof. Magaloni: Democratic Backsliding Is Not Universal; People Still Believe in Democracy, but They Want Better Delivery
Professor Beatriz Magaloni, Graham Stuart Professor of International Relations at Stanford University, argues that contemporary democratic crises cannot be understood ...

Prof. Laruelle: Liberalism Is No Longer the Only Game in Town as It Was for the Past Four Decades
Professor Marlene Laruelle argues that the contemporary challenge to liberal democracy extends far beyond electoral populism. In this wide-ranging ECPS ...

Assoc. Prof. Bottoni: Today’s Democratic Transition in Hungary Is More Difficult and Challenging Than 1989–1990
In this ECPS interview, Associate Professor Stefano Bottoni offers a compelling assessment of Hungary’s post-Orbán transition and the formidable challenges ...

From Wealth Concentration to Anti-Immigrant Populism: The Strategic Alliance Between Super-Rich and the Far Right
Why do some of the world's wealthiest individuals openly support populist radical right and far-right movements whose central political message ...

Prof. Allen: AI Should Strengthen Human Judgment, Not Replace It
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming far more than information ecosystems—it is reshaping the constitutional foundations of democracy itself. In this ...

Prof. Huq: The US Supreme Court Has Created the Conditions for Democratic Backsliding
As democratic backsliding increasingly unfolds through legal institutions rather than overt constitutional rupture, what distinguishes constitutional resilience from constitutional decline? ...

Data and Drought: A Community Fights Back
As artificial intelligence drives an unprecedented expansion of data-center infrastructure, questions of climate sustainability, democratic accountability, and technological governance are ...

The Politics of Attention: Visibility, Legitimacy, and the Transformation of Democratic Competition
As digital platforms increasingly shape how citizens encounter politics, longstanding assumptions about democratic competition are being challenged. In this insightful ...

When Lies Become Political Identity: Populism, Disinformation, and the Emotional Logic of Contemporary Politics
In this commentary, Yacine Boubia examines why political disinformation has become one of the defining challenges of contemporary democratic life. ...

Tom Davidson: Superintelligent AI Could Be Used to Undermine Democracy or Entrench Authoritarian Power
In this ECPS interview, Tom Davidson, one of the leading analysts examining the long-term implications of AGI governance, warns that humanity may ...

Prof. Slobodian: For Musk and Muskism, Democracy Is Yesterday’s Problem
Professor Quinn Slobodian, Professor of International History at Boston University and one of the leading scholars of neoliberalism and the ...

From Wealth Concentration to Anti-Immigrant Populism: The Strategic Alliance Between Super-Rich and the Far Right
Why do some of the world's wealthiest individuals openly support populist radical right and far-right movements whose central political message ...

ECPS Academy Summer School — Europe Between Oceans: The Future of the EU Trade Between the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific (July 6-10, 2026)
CASE COMPETITION INFO-PACK Are you interested in global trade politics and the future of Europe in a shifting world order? ...

ECPS Academy Summer School — Prof. Markus Kotzur: Can the EU lead? Policy Tools, Regulatory Power, and Global Influence
Professor Markus Kotzur's lecture explored one of the defining questions of contemporary European integration: can the European Union translate its ...

ECPS Academy Summer School — Prof. Axel Berkofsky: EU-Japan Relations and Populism
Japan has long been regarded as an outlier in comparative studies of populism, distinguished by political stability, Liberal Democratic Party ...

ECPS Academy Summer School 2026 – Dr. Giulio Pugliese: The EU’s Policy Towards Asia Amidst Changing US–China Security and Trade Dynamics
As Europe deepens its engagement with the Indo-Pacific, the region has become far more than a distant theatre of economic ...

ECPS Academy Summer School 2026 – Assoc. Prof. Reuben Wong: Strategic Autonomy, De-risking, and EU Economic Security Tools
The European Union's pursuit of strategic autonomy has emerged as one of the defining geopolitical debates of the twenty-first century, ...

ECPS Academy Summer School 2026 – Prof. Alasdair Young: Populism Trumped Transatlantic Trade Cooperation
Can the transatlantic trading order survive the rise of populism? In his lecture at the ECPS Academy Summer School 2026, ...

ECPS Academy Summer School 2026 – Prof. Erik Jones: The Political Economy of EU–US Trade Relations
What happens when the political foundations of the transatlantic partnership begin to erode? In his lecture at the ECPS Academy ...

Why Environmental Displacement Is the Next Frontier in Populist Politics
As climate change increasingly reshapes patterns of human mobility, it is also transforming the political foundations of democratic citizenship. In ...

Decolonizing Climate Governance: Why Indigenous Knowledge Remains on the Margins of Global Climate Action
As climate change intensifies, global climate governance increasingly acknowledges the value of Indigenous knowledge while continuing to marginalize Indigenous peoples ...

Data and Drought: A Community Fights Back
As artificial intelligence drives an unprecedented expansion of data-center infrastructure, questions of climate sustainability, democratic accountability, and technological governance are ...

Waste Sovereignty and Plastic Colonialism: Environmental Power and Populism in the Global Political Economy of Waste
DOWNLOAD ARTICLE Please cite as:Solaja, Oludele Mayowa. (2026). “Waste Sovereignty and Plastic Colonialism: Environmental Power and Populism in the Global ...

Decolonizing Populism Theory: Ecological Crisis, Informal Governance, and Democratic Claims in the Global South
This commentary by Dr. Oludele Solaja advances a compelling decolonial critique of populism by relocating its analytical center from ideology ...

From Waste to Political Weapon: Informal Recycling and Survivalist Populism in Urban Nigeria
Urban waste governance in Nigeria reveals a critical yet overlooked nexus between environmental management, informality, and political legitimacy. This policy ...

Security at What Cost? Punitive Populism and Democratic Trade-offs in Ecuador
In this commentary, Emilio Hernández examines Ecuador’s recent security crisis through the lens of punitive populism, offering a nuanced account ...

Survival Populism: How Environmental Crisis Fuels Democratic Distrust in the Global South
In this commentary, Dr. Oludele Solaja introduces the notion of “survival populism” to capture how environmental crisis and material insecurity ...

Beyond Islamo-Populism: Religious Framing and Sectarian Mobilization among the Far-Right Islamist Parties in Pakistan
DOWNLOAD ARTICLE Please cite as:Ali, Karrar & Urooj, Aamina. (2026). “Beyond Islamo-Populism: Religious Framing and Sectarian Mobilization among the Far-Right ...

When Integration Falters, Nativism Advances: Europe’s Liberal Dilemma
Dr. João Ferreira Dias argues that the rise of anti-immigrant unrest across Europe reflects not simply tensions over migration, but ...

Survival Populism and the Crisis of Belonging in Post-Apartheid South Africa
In this commentary, Dr. Oludele Solaja challenges conventional explanations of xenophobic violence in South Africa by underscoring the concept of ...

ECPS Symposium 2026 / Panel 1: From Grievance to Radicalization — Rhetoric, Ideology, and the International Politics of Populism
Please cite as:ECPS Staff. (2026). “ECPS Symposium 2026 / Panel 1: From Grievance to Radicalization — Rhetoric, Ideology, and the ...

What Orbán’s Defeat Changes—and Does Not Change—for France’s Far Right
In this incisive commentary, Dr. Gwenaëlle Bauvois examines the broader European implications of Viktor Orbán’s electoral defeat, focusing on its ...

Prof. Marlière: Local Elections Show Polarization in France Amplifies the Mainstreaming of the Far Right
In an era marked by intensifying polarization and electoral fragmentation, France’s 2026 municipal elections offer a revealing lens into the ...

French Court Ruling Convicting Marine Le Pen: Implications for the Future of the Far Right in France
DOWNLOAD ARTICLE Please cite as:Al-Sheikh Daoud, Emad Salah & Al-Dahlaki, Khudhair Abbas. (2026). “French Court Ruling Convicting Marine Le Pen: ...

Professor Camus: The Boundary Between Mainstream and Radical Right in France Is Blurring Locally
Professor Jean-Yves Camus, a leading scholar of the far right and researcher at the Observatory of Political Radicalities at the ...

Asst. Prof. Pauselli: LGBTQ+ Rights Have Become a Symbolic Boundary in Global Politics
Authoritarian governments, populist movements, and rising powers are increasingly challenging the liberal international order not only by contesting specific human ...

‘Ugly, Badly Groomed, and Bitter’: Gendered Delegitimation and Aesthetic Politics
In this incisive analysis, Dr. Gwenaëlle Bauvois interrogates how contemporary far-right discourse mobilizes gendered and aesthetic hierarchies to structure political ...

The Ripple Effect: How a Finnish Hate Speech Case Fuels Transatlantic Culture Wars
Dr. Gwenaëlle Bauvois shows how a single legal case can reverberate far beyond its national context, becoming a transnational resource ...

March 8th: For Every Victory That Was Not Considered Important
In this reflective Voice of Youth (VoY) commentary for International Women’s Day, Emmanouela Papapavlou examines how gender hierarchy persists not ...

Prof. Bjarnegård: Gender Will Become a Central Fault Line Between Liberal Democracy and Authoritarian Populism
In this ECPS interview, Professor Elin Bjarnegård (Uppsala University) argues that gender is no longer a side issue but “a ...

Voting with Freebies: How Direct Welfare Benefits Reshape Electoral Behaviour in India
In this analytically rich commentary, ECPS Youth Group member Saurabh Raj examines how direct welfare delivery is transforming electoral politics ...

Iran and Turkey through ‘The Golden Cage’ and ‘Contextual Gendered Racialization’ Lens: Populism, Law, Gender and Freedom
In this commentary, Dr. Hafza Girdap offers a compelling comparative analysis of populism, law, gender, and freedom across two authoritarian ...

November 25: The Normalization of Violence and the Forgetting That Keeps It Alive
In this compelling VoY essay, Emmanouela Papapavlou confronts the uncomfortable truth behind society’s yearly cycle of remembrance on November 25th. ...

MEP López Aguilar: The Return Regulation Is a Violation of EU Fundamental Values
As the European Union implements its new Migration and Asylum Pact amid growing populist pressures, fundamental questions are emerging about ...

Asst. Prof. Pauselli: LGBTQ+ Rights Have Become a Symbolic Boundary in Global Politics
Authoritarian governments, populist movements, and rising powers are increasingly challenging the liberal international order not only by contesting specific human ...

Prof. Lutz: Population Aging Has Changed the Immigration Debate in Switzerland
Switzerland's rejection of the Swiss People's Party's proposal to cap the country's population at ten million has been widely interpreted ...

Security at What Cost? Punitive Populism and Democratic Trade-offs in Ecuador
In this commentary, Emilio Hernández examines Ecuador’s recent security crisis through the lens of punitive populism, offering a nuanced account ...

The Ripple Effect: How a Finnish Hate Speech Case Fuels Transatlantic Culture Wars
Dr. Gwenaëlle Bauvois shows how a single legal case can reverberate far beyond its national context, becoming a transnational resource ...

War Beyond the Battlefield: Environmental and Human Security in Iran
In this commentary, Dr. Oludele Solaja examines the often-overlooked ecological consequences of modern warfare. Moving beyond traditional analyses focused on ...

Dr. Arian: Neither Foreign Powers nor Clerical Elites Represent the Iranian People
In this interview with the ECPS, Dr. Amir Ahmadi Arian offers a penetrating account of Iran at a moment of ...

Prof. Sundar: Almost Every Institution in India Has Been Subverted to Advance a Supremacist Agenda
In this interview with the ECPS, Professor Nandini Sundar (Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University) delivers a stark assessment of ...

ECPS Academy Summer School — Europe Between Oceans: The Future of the EU Trade Between the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific (July 6-10, 2026)
CASE COMPETITION INFO-PACK Are you interested in global trade politics and the future of Europe in a shifting world order? ...

ECPS Academy Summer School — Prof. Markus Kotzur: Can the EU lead? Policy Tools, Regulatory Power, and Global Influence
Professor Markus Kotzur's lecture explored one of the defining questions of contemporary European integration: can the European Union translate its ...

ECPS Academy Summer School — Prof. Axel Berkofsky: EU-Japan Relations and Populism
Japan has long been regarded as an outlier in comparative studies of populism, distinguished by political stability, Liberal Democratic Party ...

ECPS Academy Summer School 2026 – Dr. Giulio Pugliese: The EU’s Policy Towards Asia Amidst Changing US–China Security and Trade Dynamics
As Europe deepens its engagement with the Indo-Pacific, the region has become far more than a distant theatre of economic ...

ECPS Academy Summer School 2026 – Assoc. Prof. Reuben Wong: Strategic Autonomy, De-risking, and EU Economic Security Tools
The European Union's pursuit of strategic autonomy has emerged as one of the defining geopolitical debates of the twenty-first century, ...

ECPS Academy Summer School 2026 – Prof. Alasdair Young: Populism Trumped Transatlantic Trade Cooperation
Can the transatlantic trading order survive the rise of populism? In his lecture at the ECPS Academy Summer School 2026, ...

ECPS Academy Summer School 2026 – Prof. Erik Jones: The Political Economy of EU–US Trade Relations
What happens when the political foundations of the transatlantic partnership begin to erode? In his lecture at the ECPS Academy ...

ECPS Academy Summer School 2026 – Prof. Kent Jones: Populism, Legitimacy, and the Politicization of Trade
As international trade becomes increasingly entangled with geopolitical rivalry, democratic legitimacy, and populist politics, understanding the future of the rules-based ...

The Orphan Paradox in India and the USA
Please cite as:Sharma, Dinesh & Streich, Gregory W. (2026). “The Orphan Paradox in India and the USA.” Journal of Populism ...

Daughters of the Dynasties: Father-Daughter Succession in Asia and the United States
Please cite as:Sharma, Dinesh; Romagna, Britt; Lowenthal, Zara & Perez-Hosein, Jamilla. (2026). “Daughters of the Dynasties: Father-Daughter Succession in Asia ...

How Communication Style Shapes Political Trust More Than Populist Content in Domestic and International Politics
This commentary advances a critical intervention in debates on political persuasion by foregrounding original pilot research on communication and trust. ...

French Court Ruling Convicting Marine Le Pen: Implications for the Future of the Far Right in France
DOWNLOAD ARTICLE Please cite as:Al-Sheikh Daoud, Emad Salah & Al-Dahlaki, Khudhair Abbas. (2026). “French Court Ruling Convicting Marine Le Pen: ...

I Have a Dream
In this compelling Voice of Youth (VoY) contribution, Emmanouela Papapavlou revisits the enduring moral and political legacy of Martin Luther ...

“Googling” Patterns during 2026 State of the Union Address – Research Note
This research note introduces high frequency “real-time” Google Trends data as a novel tool for studying public engagement with major ...

Prof. Kopstein: Trumpism, Better Understood in Patrimonial Terms, Treats the State as a Family Business
Professor Jeffrey Kopstein argues that Trumpism is best analyzed not primarily as populism, but as patrimonial rule—where “the state itself ...

Professor Hett: Trump Is Vastly Less Astute and Less Ruthless Than Hitler
Professor Benjamin Carter Hett, a leading historian of Nazi Germany at Hunter College and the Graduate Center, CUNY, joins ECPS ...

From Wealth Concentration to Anti-Immigrant Populism: The Strategic Alliance Between Super-Rich and the Far Right
Why do some of the world's wealthiest individuals openly support populist radical right and far-right movements whose central political message ...

Why Environmental Displacement Is the Next Frontier in Populist Politics
As climate change increasingly reshapes patterns of human mobility, it is also transforming the political foundations of democratic citizenship. In ...

MEP López Aguilar: The Return Regulation Is a Violation of EU Fundamental Values
As the European Union implements its new Migration and Asylum Pact amid growing populist pressures, fundamental questions are emerging about ...

The Game They Cannot Win: Nativist Populism, Agenda-Setting, and the Weaponization of Football
As Morocco and the Netherlands prepare to meet in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 on June 30, 2026, ...

Why Starmer Could Not Outflank Reform UK: Immigration, Culture Wars and the Collapse of Labour’s Anti-Populist Strategy
Why did Keir Starmer fail to neutralize Reform UK despite commanding a large parliamentary majority? In this incisive commentary, Dr. ...

Prof. Lutz: Population Aging Has Changed the Immigration Debate in Switzerland
Switzerland's rejection of the Swiss People's Party's proposal to cap the country's population at ten million has been widely interpreted ...

When Integration Falters, Nativism Advances: Europe’s Liberal Dilemma
Dr. João Ferreira Dias argues that the rise of anti-immigrant unrest across Europe reflects not simply tensions over migration, but ...

Dr. Guenther: European Politics Is Shifting from Economics to Culture
In this provocative ECPS interview, Dr. Laurenz Guenther, Research Fellow at the Toulouse School of Economics, challenges dominant interpretations of ...

ECPS Academy Summer School — Europe Between Oceans: The Future of the EU Trade Between the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific (July 6-10, 2026)
CASE COMPETITION INFO-PACK Are you interested in global trade politics and the future of Europe in a shifting world order? ...

Internship Positions at the European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS)
DOWNLOAD ANNOUNCEMENTDuration: 6 months Commitment: Part-time(10 hours per week) Location: Remote internshipDescriptionThe European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS) is looking for motivated interns to join our team. As ...

Part IV — Rethinking the Nexus of Racialization and Populism: Lessons from the Study
In the concluding installment of her series, Lianne Nota offers a theoretically and empirically grounded reassessment of the relationship between ...

Part III — (De-)racializing ‘the People’: Who Is the Dutch Populist ‘People’?
In the third installment of her series, author Lianne Nota presents a nuanced comparative analysis of how “the people” are ...

Part II — Studying ‘the People’: A Discourse-Analytical Approach to Populism
In the second installment of her series, the author Lianne Nota advances the analysis by developing a rigorous methodological framework ...

Part I — Constructing ‘The People’: The Role of Racialization in Dutch Populist Discourse
In this incisive opening to a multi-part series, ECPS intern Lianne Nota interrogates one of the most taken-for-granted concepts in ...

I Have a Dream
In this compelling Voice of Youth (VoY) contribution, Emmanouela Papapavlou revisits the enduring moral and political legacy of Martin Luther ...

March 8th: For Every Victory That Was Not Considered Important
In this reflective Voice of Youth (VoY) commentary for International Women’s Day, Emmanouela Papapavlou examines how gender hierarchy persists not ...
From Conspiracy Theory to State Policy: Trump, MAGA, and the Specter of ‘Cultural Marxism’