Upcoming Events

ECPS Academy Summer School — Europe Between Oceans: The Future of the EU Trade Between the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific (July 6-10, 2026)

May 8, 2026

Commentaries

Long Read | Explaining Hungary’s Paradox: Péter Magyar as the Insider Challenger to a Hybrid-Authoritarian System

May 7, 2026

Interviews

Assoc. Prof. Krekó: There Are Dangers of Re-autocratization and Abuse of Power in Hungary

May 7, 2026

Commentaries

Decolonizing Populism Theory: Ecological Crisis, Informal Governance, and Democratic Claims in the Global South

May 2, 2026

Interviews

Dr. Milacic: Outbidding Autocrats on Nationalism Only Strengthens Their Legitimacy

May 2, 2026

Authoritarianism

See All

Commentaries

Long Read | Explaining Hungary’s Paradox: Péter Magyar as the Insider Challenger to a Hybrid-Authoritarian System

This commentary examines Hungary’s 2026 political rupture through the paradox of Péter Magyar: a former Fidesz insider now positioned as ...

May 7, 2026

Interviews

Assoc. Prof. Krekó: There Are Dangers of Re-autocratization and Abuse of Power in Hungary

In this ECPS interview, Associate Professor Péter Krekó examines Hungary’s uncertain political transition after Viktor Orbán’s electoral defeat and the ...

May 7, 2026

Interviews

Dr. Milacic: Outbidding Autocrats on Nationalism Only Strengthens Their Legitimacy

In this ECPS interview, Dr. Filip Milacic argues that democrats should not abandon patriotic language to autocrats. Instead, they must ...

May 2, 2026

Interviews

Professor Przeworski: There Is No Worldwide Crisis of Democracy

In this interview, Professor Adam Przeworski, Emeritus Professor of Politics at New York University, challenges dominant narratives of a global ...

April 29, 2026

Reports

ECPS Symposium 2026 / Panel 3: Normalizing Authoritarian Populism — Institutions, Algorithms, and Fascist Drift

Please cite as:ECPS Staff. (2026). “ECPS Symposium 2026 / Panel 3: Normalizing Authoritarian Populism — Institutions, Algorithms, and Fascist Drift.” ...

April 28, 2026

Interviews

Assoc. Prof. Otova: Under Radev, the Path to Autocracy in Bulgaria Becomes All Too Easy

Associate Professor Ildiko Otova, in an interview with the ECPS, offers a compelling analysis of Bulgaria’s post-election trajectory under Rumen ...

April 27, 2026

Commentaries

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 ...

April 16, 2026

Interviews

Prof. Berman: Democratic Backsliding Is Neither Sudden nor Surprising

In an interview with the ECPS, Sheri Berman challenges dominant crisis narratives by arguing that democratic backsliding is “neither unexpected ...

April 11, 2026

Digital Populism

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Reports

ECPS Symposium 2026 / Panel 3: Normalizing Authoritarian Populism — Institutions, Algorithms, and Fascist Drift

Please cite as:ECPS Staff. (2026). “ECPS Symposium 2026 / Panel 3: Normalizing Authoritarian Populism — Institutions, Algorithms, and Fascist Drift.” ...

April 28, 2026

Interviews

Assoc. Prof. Anastasopoulos: AI May Transform Populism by Mobilizing Highly Skilled Workers

Assoc. Prof. Jason Anastasopoulos argues that AI is not merely a tool of efficiency, but a political force that may ...

April 12, 2026

Reports

ECPS Virtual Workshop Series / Session 14 — From Bots to Ballots: AI, Populism, and the Future of Democratic Participation

Please cite as:ECPS Staff. (2026). “Virtual Workshop Series / Session 14 -- From Bots to Ballots: AI, Populism, and the ...

March 25, 2026

Commentaries

Algorithmic Environmental Populism and the Digital Politics of Waste in Africa

Dr. Oludele Solaja’s analysis introduces the concept of “Algorithmic Environmental Populism” to illuminate how digital platforms are reshaping the politics ...

March 23, 2026

Commentaries

“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 ...

March 5, 2026

Interviews

Professor Treisman: Trump’s Push for Executive Aggrandizement Puts Democratic Resilience to the Test

In this ECPS interview, Professor Daniel Treisman examines how Trump’s political style intersects with the logic of informational autocracy and ...

January 27, 2026

Book Reviews

Post-Truth Populism: A New Political Paradigm

Please cite as: Syvak, Nikoletta. (2026). “Post-Truth Populism: A New Political Paradigm.” ECPS Book Reviews. European Center for Populism Studies. ...

January 19, 2026

Commentaries

Dopamine Detox, Self-Discipline, and the Populist Moralization of Responsibility

This commentary interrogates the rising popularity of “dopamine detox” as a moralized response to digital overload and burnout, situating it ...

January 10, 2026

Economics

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Upcoming Events

ECPS Academy Summer School — Europe Between Oceans: The Future of the EU Trade Between the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific (July 6-10, 2026)

Are you interested in global trade politics and the future of Europe in a shifting world order? Do you want ...

May 8, 2026

Interviews

Ten Years on with Brexit / Prof. Corner: With Brexit, the UK Has Lost More Than It Has Gained

As the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum approaches, debate has shifted from slogans to evidence. In this interview, Professor ...

April 19, 2026

Interviews

Ten Years on with Brexit / Prof. Portes: Brexit Has Not Solved Britain’s Problems; It Made Them Worse

As the United Kingdom nears the tenth anniversary of the 2016 Brexit referendum, Professor Jonathan Portes offers a sober, evidence-based ...

April 19, 2026

Commentaries

Power Transition in the Middle East: The Intersection of US Global Rivalries and Israel’s Regional Ambitions

In this long ECPS commentary, Professor Ibrahim Ozturk examines the 2026 US–Israeli strikes on Iran as part of a broader ...

March 15, 2026

Commentaries

Energy Geopolitics from Hormuz to Lagos: Commodity Shocks and African Vulnerability

In this analysis, Dr. Oludele Solaja examines how geopolitical tensions around the strategic oil chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz ...

March 5, 2026

Commentaries

From the ‘End of History’ to the ‘End of a Fiction’: What Davos 2026 Really Announced

Davos 2026 revealed a global order no longer converging on a single liberal model, but sliding into a harsher era ...

January 28, 2026

Reports

From Trade Skirmishes to Trade War? Transatlantic Trade Relations During the Second Trump Administration

Please cite as:Young, Alasdair R. (2026). “From Trade Skirmishes to Trade War? Transatlantic Trade Relations during the Second Trump Administration.” ...

January 20, 2026

Reports

Transatlantic Trade, the Trump Disruption and the World Trade Organization

Please cite as:Jones, Kent. (2026). “Transatlantic Trade, the Trump Disruption and the WTO.” In: Populism and the Future of Transatlantic ...

January 20, 2026

Environment & Climate

See All

Commentaries

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 ...

May 2, 2026

Policy Papers

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 ...

April 24, 2026

Commentaries

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 ...

April 16, 2026

Commentaries

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 ...

April 5, 2026

Commentaries

When Fuel Prices Turn Political: Trust, Climate Reform, and Everyday Populism in Nigeria

This commentary examines how fuel pricing in Nigeria has become a central site of democratic contestation, linking economic reform to ...

March 29, 2026

Commentaries

When Floods Become Political: Disaster Relief, Democratic Trust, and Everyday Environmental Populism in Nigeria

In this insightful commentary, Dr. Oludele Solaja reconceptualizes recurrent flooding in Nigeria as a site of political contestation rather than ...

March 25, 2026

Commentaries

Algorithmic Environmental Populism and the Digital Politics of Waste in Africa

Dr. Oludele Solaja’s analysis introduces the concept of “Algorithmic Environmental Populism” to illuminate how digital platforms are reshaping the politics ...

March 23, 2026

Commentaries

Algorithmic Populism and the Politics of Waste: How AI Reproduces Plastic Colonialism in the Global South

In this incisive analysis, Dr. Oludele Solaja interrogates how AI-driven waste governance reproduces global inequalities under the guise of efficiency. ...

March 18, 2026

Extremism & Radicalisation

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Reports

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 ...

April 28, 2026

European Observatory

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 ...

April 15, 2026

Interviews

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 ...

March 28, 2026

Populism & Politics (P&P)

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: ...

March 27, 2026

Interviews

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 ...

March 28, 2026

Interviews

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 ...

February 18, 2026

Interviews

Dr. Lopes: Ventura Mobilized ‘Latent Populists,’ but Authoritarian Appeals in Portugal Have Limits

André Ventura’s qualification for the presidential runoff marks a critical moment in Portuguese politics, long viewed as resistant to far-right ...

March 28, 2026

Voice of Youth

November 17th: The Rise of the Far-Right as a ‘Youth Trend’

In this powerful reflection for ECPS – Voice of Youth, high school student Emmanouela Papapavlou warns that the rise of ...

November 18, 2025

Gender

See All

European Observatory

‘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 ...

April 27, 2026

European Observatory

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 ...

April 10, 2026

Voice of Youth

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 ...

March 8, 2026

Interviews

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 ...

February 26, 2026

Commentaries

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 ...

December 29, 2025

Commentaries

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 ...

December 22, 2025

Voice of Youth

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. ...

November 25, 2025

Interviews

Prof. Klein: It Is Difficult to Label Japanese PM Takaichi a Populist, Despite Her Nationalism and Anti-Feminism

In this incisive interview for the ECPS, Professor Axel Klein offers a nuanced assessment of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ...

November 22, 2025

Human Rights

See All

Commentaries

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 ...

April 16, 2026

European Observatory

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 ...

April 10, 2026

Commentaries

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 ...

March 9, 2026

Interviews

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 ...

March 7, 2026

Interviews

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 ...

February 18, 2026

Voice of Youth

Law, Order and the Lives in Between

In this Voice of Youth (VoY) article, Emmanouela Papapavlou delivers a powerful reflection on state violence, immigration enforcement, and the ...

January 11, 2026

Journal of Populism Studies

Alcoholic Mobsters and Welfare Criminals: Xenophobia, Welfare Chauvinism and Populism in Gyurcsány Ferenc’s Facebook Posts on Ukrainian Citizens Prior to the War

Please cite as:Andits, Petra. (2026). “Alcoholic Mobsters and Welfare Criminals: Xenophobia, Welfare Chauvinism and Populism in Gyurcsány Ferenc’s Facebook Posts ...

January 10, 2026

Commentaries

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 ...

December 22, 2025

Global Peace & Order

See All

Upcoming Events

ECPS Academy Summer School — Europe Between Oceans: The Future of the EU Trade Between the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific (July 6-10, 2026)

Are you interested in global trade politics and the future of Europe in a shifting world order? Do you want ...

May 8, 2026

Foreign Policy

ECPS Roundtable in Washington Examines Populism’s Impact on Transatlantic Relations

A high-level roundtable convened by the European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS) at the Center for American Progress (CAP) on ...

April 29, 2026

Commentaries

The Ongoing War Between Iran, the US, and Israel: A Brief Analytical Assessment

This commentary by Professor Majid Bozorgmehri situates the 2026 confrontation within a broader matrix of regional rivalry, nuclear deterrence, and ...

April 23, 2026

Commentaries

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. ...

March 29, 2026

Commentaries

Power Transition in the Middle East: The Intersection of US Global Rivalries and Israel’s Regional Ambitions

In this long ECPS commentary, Professor Ibrahim Ozturk examines the 2026 US–Israeli strikes on Iran as part of a broader ...

March 15, 2026

Interviews

Prof. Klein: Political Transformation in Iran May Come, but Not in the Way the West Expects

Professor Peter W. Klein offers a historically grounded warning against simplistic regime-change narratives in Iran. In this ECPS interview, the ...

March 18, 2026

Commentaries

Energy Geopolitics from Hormuz to Lagos: Commodity Shocks and African Vulnerability

In this analysis, Dr. Oludele Solaja examines how geopolitical tensions around the strategic oil chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz ...

March 5, 2026

Interviews

Dr. Shahriari: Without Western Recognition, Rojava Lacks Leverage to Secure a Lasting Power-Sharing Deal with Damascus

In this ECPS interview, Dr. Soheila Shahriari offers a theoretically grounded diagnosis of Rojava’s most precarious post-ISIS moment. She argues ...

March 3, 2026

Leadership & Persona

See All

Commentaries

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. ...

March 29, 2026

Populism & Politics (P&P)

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: ...

March 27, 2026

Voice of Youth

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 18, 2026

Commentaries

“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 ...

March 5, 2026

Interviews

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 ...

March 4, 2026

Interviews

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 ...

February 16, 2026

Interviews

Prof. Costa Pinto: If Victorious, Ventura Would Pursue Orbán-Style Authoritarianism in Portugal

In this in-depth ECPS interview, Professor António Costa Pinto—one of Europe’s leading scholars of authoritarianism—offers a historically grounded analysis of ...

March 28, 2026

Commentaries

From Farce to Tragedy: The First Year of Trump’s Second Term and the Unmaking of America

In “From Farce to Tragedy,” the author traces the first year of Donald Trump’s second term as a turning point ...

January 24, 2026

Migration

See All

Interviews

Ten Years on with Brexit / Prof. Portes: Brexit Has Not Solved Britain’s Problems; It Made Them Worse

As the United Kingdom nears the tenth anniversary of the 2016 Brexit referendum, Professor Jonathan Portes offers a sober, evidence-based ...

April 19, 2026

European Observatory

When Change Becomes Conflict: Immigration and the Politics of Cultural Backlash

This analysis by Yacine Boubia challenges the dominant economic explanations of populism by foregrounding the central role of cultural transformation. ...

April 8, 2026

Interviews

Dr. Henriksen: Strict Migration Policy in Denmark Fails to Contain the Radical Right

In this ECPS interview, Dr. Frederik Møller Henriksen offers an in-depth assessment of Denmark’s 2026 general election, highlighting both continuity ...

March 28, 2026

Reports

UNTOLD Europe Workshop – Case Study Session Report

The interactive case study session of the UNTOLD Europe Workshop (Brussels, 21 October 2025) translated critical discussions on colonial legacies, ...

February 11, 2026

Policy Papers

Towards Coherent and Human Rights-Based Migration Governance in Europe: Addressing Structural Imbalances in the Light of Colonial Narratives on Migration in Europe

This policy paper, developed from the Untold Europe workshop (Brussels, 21 October 2025), examines structural imbalances in European migration governance across three ...

February 11, 2026

Reports

The Illiberal Bargain on Migration

Please cite as:Andersson, Ruben. (2026). “The Illiberal Bargain on Migration.” In: Populism and the Future of Transatlantic Relations: Challenges and ...

January 20, 2026

Voice of Youth

Law, Order and the Lives in Between

In this Voice of Youth (VoY) article, Emmanouela Papapavlou delivers a powerful reflection on state violence, immigration enforcement, and the ...

January 11, 2026

Journal of Populism Studies

Alcoholic Mobsters and Welfare Criminals: Xenophobia, Welfare Chauvinism and Populism in Gyurcsány Ferenc’s Facebook Posts on Ukrainian Citizens Prior to the War

Please cite as:Andits, Petra. (2026). “Alcoholic Mobsters and Welfare Criminals: Xenophobia, Welfare Chauvinism and Populism in Gyurcsány Ferenc’s Facebook Posts ...

January 10, 2026

ECPS Youth

See All

Upcoming Events

ECPS Academy Summer School — Europe Between Oceans: The Future of the EU Trade Between the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific (July 6-10, 2026)

Are you interested in global trade politics and the future of Europe in a shifting world order? Do you want ...

May 8, 2026

Voice of Youth

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 18, 2026

Voice of Youth

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 ...

March 8, 2026

Voice of Youth

To Where? On Language, Identity, Belonging, and the Cost of Silence

In this reflective essay, 15-year old Sojoud Al-Hjouj interrogates the intimate relationship between language, identity, and authenticity in contemporary life. ...

January 30, 2026

Voice of Youth

Law, Order and the Lives in Between

In this Voice of Youth (VoY) article, Emmanouela Papapavlou delivers a powerful reflection on state violence, immigration enforcement, and the ...

January 11, 2026

Commentaries

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 ...

December 29, 2025

Voice of Youth

The Humanity of Migration

In this timely and powerful Voice of Youth (VoY) essay, Emmanouela Papapavlou reframes migration not as a crisis or threat, ...

December 15, 2025

Voice of Youth

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. ...

November 25, 2025

Related Terms:

• Term: Welfare Chauvinism
• Term: Immigration
• Term: Populism
• Term: Autocracy