Mi. 24.11.2021

Political Entrepreneurs and Populism

Prof. Catherine E. De Vries discusses how ongoing changes in European party systems compares with previous waves of challenger parties, including social democratic and green parties.

She then presents the core strategies used by successful challengers, namely issue entrepreneurship and anti-establishment rhetoric, as they mobilize issues that gives them an electoral advantage and attack the competence of the established political parties. Finally, she considers what the rise of challenger parties may mean for democracy in Europe.