Today, we have a big picture conversation about populism – that thing that seems to be taking over the world, whether we are talking about Donald Trump, Brexit, Bolsonaro in Brazil or Duterte in the Philippines. But, what is populism? Why do people vote for populists?
Besides unhelpful explanations that are unhelpful (like everyone is insane), how can we better understand this phenomenon? Today we take our understanding of populism – and as a consequence, our world - up several notches.
My guest is Sam Wilkin. Sam is a political risk expert, an author and a speaker. His latest book is called History Repeating – Why Populists Rise and Governments Fall. In it, Sam shows us that there are patterns to populism – the same drama plays out time and again in places as diverse as Iran, Russia, and yes, the United States with Donald Trump.
Our conversation is both fun and engaging – much like Sam’s book. And once we understand the logic of populism, we are better able to tackle the risks it poses – and as you’ll hear, some of that is surprising and counter-intuitive. We cover:
- What populism is;
- Why people vote for populists;
- Populism and inequality;
- Similarities between populists of different countries and eras;
- The dangers of irregularly removing a populist from office;
- What populists tend to do once in power;
- Risks to our world posed by populism;
- Much more
Show notes:
History Repeating: Why Populists Rise and Governments Fall;
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