The Human Development Index (HDI) and the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2013-2017: analysis of social conflict and populism in Europe

This paper proposes a statistical model for identifying which contexts favour the growth of populism in European democracies by analysing the relationship between the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Corruption Perception Index (CPI). With the aid of United Nations (UN), Transparency International Organization and Institute for Global Change data for the years 2013-2017, and after applying statistical convergence, our study identifies different clusters of European democracies where populism has grown after serious episodes of social conflict in the wake of one of the most important financial and economic crises in recent history. The study’s findings provide new insights which help to identify weaknesses in democracies where populist parties could grow.