Current Location: JIS > Publish
A Cyclic Political “Carnival”? –Understanding Populism in Latin America

Published:2018-06-14 Published:2018-06-14   Author:Guo Jie   [Small] [Middle] [Big] [More]

Populism in Latin American is a cyclical political phenomenon. Since the 20th century, the region has witnessed three different forms of populism: classical, neoliberal, and radical left-wing. Classic populism took place in parallel to early industrialization and urbanization; neoliberal populism was born in the period of simultaneous marketization and democratization; and radical left-wing populism at the beginning of the 21st century constituted an important component of the progressive wave in the new period. Despite their very different background, all three forms of populism are deep reflections of the political, economic and social realities in the region: severe inequality, limited political participation, and insufficient social mobility. In Latin America, populism is by no means a synonymous with “evil”. Nevertheless, its solutions are far from being reasonable options and often do more harm than good to target beneficiaries after the political “carnival” ends. In sharp contrast to the upward trend of current European and American populism, due to multiple factors such as macroeconomic recession and political change, the third circle of populism in Latin American history seems to be coming to an end.

Add to Favorites ISSN1671-4709 Copyright 1980-2018 The Journal of International Studies