What is populism?

Populism refers to a political party, movement or ideology that pits “the people” (good) against “the elites” (bad), who supposedly are to blame for their troubles. But this definition begs some important questions. Exactly who are the people? Who are the elites responsible for their injuries? And what remedies might alleviate those harms? To address such questions, we must first distinguish between the populism of the left and the populism of the right. Although both forms incorporate cultural as well as economic grievances, the left-wing version emphasizes economic injustice, while its right-wing counterpart concentrates on threats to culture. In the leftist variant, “the people” are members of society’s lower echelons, who are victimized by oppressive business and financial interests. Protesting against concentrations of power and wealth, the populism of the left seeks a more equal distribution of each.

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