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Reclaiming Populism: How Economic Fairness Can Win Back Disenchanted Voters
Populist upheavals like Trump, Brexit, and the Gilets Jaunes happen when the system really is rigged. Citizens the world over are angry not due to income inequality or immigration, but economic unfairness: the sense that opportunity is not equal and reward is not according to contribution.
This forensic book draws on original research, cited by the UN and IMF, to demonstrate that illiberal populism strikes hardest when success is influenced by family origins rather than talent and effort. Protzer and Summerville propose a framework of policy inputs that instead support high social mobility, and apply it to diagnose the differing reasons behind economic unfairness in the US, UK, Italy, and France. By striving for a fair, socially-mobile economy, they argue, it is possible to craft a politics that reclaims the reasonable grievances behind populism.
Reclaiming Populism is a must-read for policymakers, scholars, and citizens who want to bring disenchanted populist voters back into the fold of liberal democracy.
This forensic book draws on original research, cited by the UN and IMF, to demonstrate that illiberal populism strikes hardest when success is influenced by family origins rather than talent and effort. Protzer and Summerville propose a framework of policy inputs that instead support high social mobility, and apply it to diagnose the differing reasons behind economic unfairness in the US, UK, Italy, and France. By striving for a fair, socially-mobile economy, they argue, it is possible to craft a politics that reclaims the reasonable grievances behind populism.
Reclaiming Populism is a must-read for policymakers, scholars, and citizens who want to bring disenchanted populist voters back into the fold of liberal democracy.
- GenresNonfictionPolitics
180 pages, Paperback
Published January 4, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 26, 2023
A short book that was nevertheless a dense skimmer but buried in there were some good nuggets most notably in the conclusion that had concrete ideas about what might work to reclaim a sense of trust that institutions are focused on what's fair for everyone.
Equality of opportunity supported by a good education and health care available to all with a stable safety net for, hopefully, rare adverse conditions while still permitting fair but unequal outcomes.
There was a statement near the end about economic fairness being hard to achieve when one citizen prospers by undermining the opportunities of another. What has been happening due to globalization, offshore tax havens and politicians and civil servants being very heavily lobbied by the corporations and the well off is that it is not a single person but a homogenous small group that has disadvantaged and undermined other large groups in many countries.
This is happening globally as governments are forced to buy jobs with subsidies, tax cuts, or help boost profits with lax enforcement (LTC, orphan wells in Canada) all while either creating or loyally maintaining tax loopholes that continually starve governments of tax revenue. That lost revenue means fewer services or more debt - or often both. This trend has been going on for decades and only fixing that might mean more equitable societies less vulnerable to populism.
Equality of opportunity supported by a good education and health care available to all with a stable safety net for, hopefully, rare adverse conditions while still permitting fair but unequal outcomes.
There was a statement near the end about economic fairness being hard to achieve when one citizen prospers by undermining the opportunities of another. What has been happening due to globalization, offshore tax havens and politicians and civil servants being very heavily lobbied by the corporations and the well off is that it is not a single person but a homogenous small group that has disadvantaged and undermined other large groups in many countries.
This is happening globally as governments are forced to buy jobs with subsidies, tax cuts, or help boost profits with lax enforcement (LTC, orphan wells in Canada) all while either creating or loyally maintaining tax loopholes that continually starve governments of tax revenue. That lost revenue means fewer services or more debt - or often both. This trend has been going on for decades and only fixing that might mean more equitable societies less vulnerable to populism.
August 5, 2022
A good read for all who care about burgeoning populist movements in their respective countries. Clear, edifying, comprehensive. As a Canadian reader, I could not help but take in the thesis on economic fairness through our country's lens. It seems that we may be well placed to take on populists within our country but vigilance about economic fairness in our public policy, as emphasized in this book, is important.
Our leaders and elected officials, from top to bottom, and most importantly, citizens, would do well to have a look at this book and start walking and talking the language of economic fairness. Populists are talented at what they do and have begun to succeed in this era but there is no reason why liberal democrats cannot beat back their challenge in the electoral arena.
Recommended!
Our leaders and elected officials, from top to bottom, and most importantly, citizens, would do well to have a look at this book and start walking and talking the language of economic fairness. Populists are talented at what they do and have begun to succeed in this era but there is no reason why liberal democrats cannot beat back their challenge in the electoral arena.
Recommended!
August 7, 2024
The author argues that the rise of populism is caused by inequality of opportunities and relative unfairness in the society. It is definitely good to have fairer society, but it seems that the populism (understood as the appeal to popular passion as opposed to appeal to reason) is a necessary consequence of general suffrage and majority rule. And the appeal to passions can be countered only with another appeal to passions, as the voters objectively tend to be “rationally ignorant” and “rationally irrational”.
August 1, 2025
A thoughtprovoking book, debunking a lot of traditional leftist (only leftist?) views about inequality and economic fairness. Well argued and straight-forward to read, this thoroughly researched monograph should change economic perception and also lead to policy adjustments. Highly recommended.
January 12, 2022
The opposite of critical theory: milquetoast recommendations.
December 27, 2022
Reclaiming Populism is a well structured, economical text on how policy makers can defuse combustible populism in Western nations. The author argues that fairness and equal outcomes cannot be conflated, and forced equal outcomes lead to disaster. In addition, the author notes that populist anger must be taken seriously, and not further inflamed by the social justice left. Protzer discusses how a lack of social mobility, and deep institutional issues or "syndromes", must be diagnosed in each nation, and dealt with over the long term. This is a refreshing, moderate and pragmatic text that can help the Center sap the fuel out of today's right-wing populism. One drawback is that Protzer appears to lean heavily on market-based solutions, but does acknowledge the need for inputs such as public healthcare and high quality education to ensure fair opportunity.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews