The Politics of Democracy

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Bart Bonikowski joins Julia and Lee to discuss the relationship between populism and nationalism in American politics. Bonikowski is an associate professor of sociology and politics at New York University. He uses relational survey methods, computational text analysis, and experimental research to apply insights gleaned from cultural sociology to the study of politics in the United States and Europe. Bonikowski focuses on nationalism, populism, and radical-right parties.

What is populism? Is it synonymous with radical politics? How does left-wing populism and right-wing populism differ? What explains the success of populist nationalist movements in the United States? And what is the likelihood of a populist movement causing democratic backsliding in the US? These are some of the questions Bart, Julia, and Lee ask in this week’s episode.