Comparative populism: Romania and Hungary
Comparative populism: Romania and Hungary
Author(s): Zoltán BretterSubject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Politics and communication, Comparative politics, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment, Politics of History/Memory, Politics and Identity
Published by: Editura Universităţii »Alexandru Ioan Cuza« din Iaşi
Keywords: Hungary; Romania; autocratic populism; illiberalism; political mechanism; political culture;
Summary/Abstract: The paper aims to test the mechanism of autocratic populism (term which will be used as a synonym for illiberal democracy) in Hungary and Romania. A mechanism could help to better explain the phenomenon of populism across different spatiotemporal settings in which it occurs, therefore it is suitable for a common understanding of populism. I am going to use a minimal definition of liberal democracy as well as authoritarian populism and compare Romania and Hungary along three major components of the mechanism: constitutionalism (division of powers), the cultural construction of “the people” and the different conditions of the emergence of a charismatic personality. Investigating political processes will show why authoritarian populism or illiberal democracy has gained prominence in Hungary but has failed in Romania.
Journal: Eastern Journal of European Studies
- Issue Year: 13/2022
- Issue No: SI
- Page Range: 183-206
- Page Count: 24
- Language: English