This open access book by Nils Karlson explores the strategies used by left- and right-wing populists to make populism intelligible, recognizable, and contestable. It presents a synthesized explanatory model for how populists promote autocratization through the deliberate polarization of society. It traces the ideational roots of the core populist ideas and shows that these ideas form a collectivistic identity politics.

Karlson argues that to fight back requires the revival of liberalism itself by defending and developing the liberal institutions, the liberal spirit, liberal narratives, and liberal statecraft. The book also presents and discusses an extensive list of counterstrategies against populism.

Written within the tradition of political theory and institutional economics, this book uses a wide variety of sources, including results and analyses from social psychology, ethics, law, and history.

The first to analyze populism from the perspective of classical liberalism Discusses how liberals can fight back against the populist threat through liberal statecraft and reviving liberalism Traces the ideational roots of the core populist ideas

Autorentext
Nils Karlson is the founder and former CEO of the Ratio Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

Inhalt

Chapter 1: Classical Liberalism against Populism.- Chapter 2: Populism - defining characteristics.- Chapter 3: A Threat to Liberty, Free Markets, and the Open Society.- Chapter 4: Explaining Populism.- Chapter 5: The Populist Divisive, Activist Ideas.- Chapter 6: The Classical Liberal Ideas, Predicaments, and Potentials.- Chapter 7: Expose the Populist Strategies and Consequences.- Chapter 8: Defend and Develop the Liberal Institutions.- Chapter 9: Advance a Liberal Politics of Identity.- Chapter 10: Develop Liberal Statecraft.- Chapter 11: A Classical Liberal Revival.