On November 22 and 23, Mattia Zulianello coordinated the Winter School of the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, “Populism and the Crisis of Representative Democracy”.
The 15-hour course in Milan, Italy discussed issues related to the populist phenomenon: its ideational varieties, geographical manifestations, organisational features, communication strategies, impact on political systems, and electoral performance over time.
Key outcomes:
*Populism comes in different shapes and sizes.
*It is important to avoid sweeping terms such as “Euroscepticism”, “nationalism”, and “racism” as synonyms for “populism”.
*The long-term electoral trend of populist parties in Europe is one of consolidation.
*Populists are usually skillful media communicators.
*The majority of populist parties are no longer at the margins of European political systems.
*Populist parties should be studied, first of all, as organizations which are responsible for their success and failure.
The other instructors were Diego Ceccobelli and Sorina Soare.
