Why and how have populists succeeded in channeling public fear and anger in ways that have gained them striking influence? Join the discussion with Vivien Schmidt.

5th seminar of the 'Social policy unpacked' series

Why and how have populists succeeded in channeling public fear and anger in ways that have gained them striking influence? Despite differing national contexts in which populist leaders emerge, their similar messages and post-truth rhetorical strategies are finding audiences across Europe. How can the challenges they pose to political stability and democracy in particular in the context of the fair transition towards climate neutrality, be met?

• What are the main sources for populist discontent? Are the causes economic, socio-cultural, or political?
• What are the defining features of today’s populism regarding their styles of discourse and processes of populist communication?
• How can the EU counter the populist upsurge with innovative ideas that go beyond neoliberal economics while promoting a fair green transition?

Join the discussion with Vivien Schmidt, who is a Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration and Professor of International Relations and Political Science at Pardee School of Global Studies within Boston University. Schmidt’s research focuses on democracy and the challenges of populism, on European political economy and institutions, and on ideas and discourse in political analysis. Explore some of her work on populism in Europe here.

Her latest book is Europe’s Crisis of Legitimacy: Governing by Rules and Ruling by Numbers in the Eurozone (Oxford 2020). Her earlier book, Democracy in Europe (Oxford 2006), was named in 2015 by the European Parliament as one of the ‘100 Books on Europe to Remember.’

• Date: 5 April 2023
• Time: 15:00-16:00 CET

​Register for the event here and find more information on the Zoe Institute's website.

Background

The speaker series consists of twelve online seminars running from December 2022 until June 2023. Other topics and speakers will include:

• 19 April: Homeownership, renting and society: implications for the European Green Deal, with Sebastian Kohl
• 2 May: How technology shapes inequality, with Karen Yeung​

The Speaker Series is funded by the European Commission under Horizon Europe and is open to staff as well as to the public.