Columbia University economist Andres Velasco on the rise of populism
“Populism rests on a
toxic triad: denial of complexity, anti-pluralism, and a crooked version of
representation….Viewed in this light, populism is not a useful corrective to a
democracy captured by technocrats and elites, as Marine Le Pen, Rafael Correa,
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, or assorted Western intellectuals want you to believe. On
the contrary, it is profoundly anti-democratic, and hence a threat to democracy
itself.”
Anatole Kaletsky (Chief Economist and Co-Chairman of Gavekal
Dragonomics) notes:
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/voting-data-show-little-economic-link-with-brexit-by-anatole-kaletsky-2016-10
“For starters, most populist voters are neither poor nor unemployed; they are not victims of globalization, immigration, and free trade. The main demographic groups behind the anti-establishment upsurge have been people outside the workforce: pensioners, middle-aged homemakers, and men with low educational qualifications receiving disability payments.”
“For starters, most populist voters are neither poor nor unemployed; they are not victims of globalization, immigration, and free trade. The main demographic groups behind the anti-establishment upsurge have been people outside the workforce: pensioners, middle-aged homemakers, and men with low educational qualifications receiving disability payments.”