The importance of 'a vibrant clash of democratic political positions' why populism belongs in the political arena
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2016-05-12
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en
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Populism is often regarded detrimental to democracy. But populism also stresses the importance of the rule of the people, which is what democracy in its most basic form is all about. This positive relation between populism and democracy is often overlooked. In this thesis I therefore examine not only the negative effects, but also pay attention to the positive effects that populism can have. By using aspects of Chantal Mouffe’s agonistic pluralism, I demonstrate that populism has a dualistic character: it has advantageous as well as detrimental features. Given this dualism, I state that populist parties do belong in the political arena, but that established parties should implement a strategy of ad hoc cooperation. On an ad hoc basis, established parties can either cooperate or non-cooperate with a populist party. I will show that this strategy upholds the positive effects of populism, while simultaneously thwarting its negative effects.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen