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An Economic Understanding of Populism: A Conceptual Framework of the Demand and the Supply Side of Populism – Publication by István Benczes and Krisztina Szabó

2022-11-25 12:08:53

The publication by István Benczes and Krisztina Szabó was published in the Political Studies Review.
Corvinus Épület

Abstract: This article assesses progress in the economics-centred literature on populism along three key themes and develops a conceptual framework to better understand the phenomenon. On the demand side (t − 1), economics research identifies the effect of an exogenous economic shock on a marginalised segment of society and works with the economic voting hypothesis. On the supply side of populists in power (t), in the literature, populist rule is typically associated with unsustainable expansionary fiscal and monetary policies and with trade protectionism. At t + 1, by using rational and biased belief assumptions, economists provide implicit inputs for a seemingly paradoxical question: why is a populist re-elected even if most populist policies assumably end up in Pareto inferior outcomes? This article summarises and criticises the relevant economic literature and shows that not only political science, but economics scholarship is instrumental for studying populism at all three stages.

Dr. Benczes István Zsolt istvan.benczes@uni-corvinus.hu Rektori Szervezet / Globális Tanulmányok Intézet / Világgazdasági Tanszék
Egyetemi tanár / Professor
C épület, 406
Phone: +36 1 482 7403 • Ext: 7403
Szabó Krisztina krisztina.szabo11@uni-corvinus.hu Rektori Szervezet / Globális Tanulmányok Intézet / Világgazdasági Tanszék
Tudományos segédmunkatárs / Assistant Research Fellow
C épület, 401
Phone: +36 1 482 7143 • Ext: 7143
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