Diffusion and global circulation of populist discourse

Abstract

Despite increasing interest in and research on populism, there is a gap in the literature on the phenomenon when it comes to understanding the diffusion of populist projects across countries and regions. With the aim of addressing this research gap, this chapter develops a theoretical framework that is useful for analysing the dynamics of the diffusion and global circulation of populist discourse. Considering the literature on the diffusion of public policies, collective action frames and the theory of circulation of ideas, this chapter conceives populism as a global, multi-scalar political phenomenon beyond contextually situated cases. To demonstrate the utility of the proposed framework, we provide empirical illustrations of the dynamics of diffusion and global circulation of populist discourse from the Global South to the Global North and vice versa. We are thus interested in advancing a research agenda on the transnational dimension of populism and its diffusion across the globe.