Populism is a Symptom Rather than a Cause: Democratic Disconnect, the Decline of the Center-Left, and the Rise of Populism in Western Europe

Populism is best understood as a symptom of growing dissatisfaction with democracy, which emerges when citizens believe that political institutions are unwilling or unable to respond to their needs and demands. In democracies, unlike in dictatorships, dissatisfied citizens can express their dissatisfaction by voting to change their leaders and governments. But if citizens believe their votes do not matter—if their leaders and governments do not respond to their needs and demands—then dissatisfaction with democracy will grow, as will support for movements opposed to it. This symposium contribution illustrates this dynamic via an examination of Europe’s past and present.