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Democracy Works: Populism Is Not A Monolith

Vineeta Yadav
Penn State Department of Political Science

We've talked a lot on this show about the rise of authoritarian leaders around the world — from Viktor Orban in Hungary to Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil. We sometimes tend to paint these countries with same brush, often referring to the book How Democracies Die. While the book remains of our favorites, this week's episode is a reminder that populism does not look the same everywhere.

We welcome back Penn State's Vineeta Yadav to look at some of the forces that are pushing back against populism around the world, and how those efforts look different in each place. Vineeta joined us last fall to discuss the rise of Narendra Modi in India. We reusume that conversation in this episode, but also touch on what's happening in Turkey and Brazil.

Democracy Works hosts Michael Berkman and Chris Beem also give an important overview of the difference between liberalism and democracy — and how the two work together to form the system of government practiced in many countries around the world today.    

Jenna Spinelle is the Communications Specialist for the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State. She is responsible for shaping all of the institute's external communication, including website content, social media, multimedia, and media outreach.
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