POPULIST LIBERALISM: A SYNTHESIS OF CLASSICAL LIBERALISM AND POPULISM
POPULIST LIBERALISM: A SYNTHESIS OF CLASSICAL LIBERALISM AND POPULISM

Author(s): Goran Ilić, Nikola Lj. Ilijevski
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Political Theory, Sociology of Politics
Published by: Институт друштвених наука
Keywords: classical liberalism; populism; ideology; strategy; populist liberalism
Summary/Abstract: Populism and liberalism represent two of the most influential ideologies, and/or political theories, both understood on general level. Liberalism seems as a victorious ideology in the 20th and, supposedly in the 21st century, but on the other hand, the rise of populism, in its various forms, is visible in Europe and on a global scale. Populism is appearing in two major forms, particularly as right-wing, and left-wing, essentially illiberal oriented. On another level, classical liberalism and populism should be furthermore analyzed and decomposed, mainly as a theory, ideology and strategy. The scientific purpose of this paper is to give answers to the following questions: what is (political) ideology?; What is (political) strategy?; What is the relation among ideology and strategy?; What is populism as ideology and strategy?; What is classical liberalism as ideology and strategy?; What are the weaknesses of classical liberal social strategy?; What is populist liberalism?. The social purpose of this paper is to initiate a reflection for theoretical and ideological alternatives of the existing illiberal populism, utilizing some of their efficient components, but uncompromisingly based on the classical liberal postulates. Regarding its flexibility and openness, the populist liberalism can be easily located in the center of the political spectrum, while attracting the best from the left and right.

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