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Populism Talks
by European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS) - www.populismstudies.org
Expert conversations on populism, democracy, and political change worldwide. Populisms Talks delivers sharp, research-based insights into the forces reshaping politics today.
Episodes
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Prof. Yaniv Roznai: Israel Would Not Survive Another Coalition Like Netanyahu’s
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Could another Netanyahu coalition spell the end of liberal democracy in Israel? Host Selcuk Gultasli interviews constitutional scholar Professor Yaniv Roznai (Reichman University / Princeton University). They examine the existential threat of brain drain and…
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Prof. Gideon Rahat: Netanyahu’s Departure Could Pave the Way for Democratic Renewal in Israel
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli As Israel approaches its October 27 elections, is democratic renewal possible after a decade of hyper-personalized populism? Host Selcuk Gultasli speaks with Professor Gideon Rahat (Hebrew University of Jerusalem / Israel Democracy Institute). They explore how…
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Prof. Peled: Israel Risks Losing What Remains of Its Liberal Democracy After October 27
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Electoral competition alone cannot save liberal democracy when the underlying structures of ethnonational exclusion remain unchallenged. In this episode, Professor Yoav Peled (Tel Aviv University) joins host Selcuk Gultasli to unpack Israel's post-October 7 political...
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Prof. Lucio Rennó: Brazil Faces Unusual Democratic Backsliding Through Legislative Authoritarianism
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli As Brazil heads into the October 25 runoff between Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, the biggest threat to democracy might not come from the presidency, but from Congress. Host Selcuk Gultasli speaks with University of Brasília Professor Lucio Rennó to analyze a...
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Professor Adolph Reed: The Structural Contradictions That Gave Rise to Trumpism Remain Unresolved
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Is Trumpism a personal aberration or the direct result of neoliberal capitalism's decay? Host Selcuk Gultasli sits down with Professor Emeritus Adolph Reed Jr. (UPenn / Mount Holyoke) for a materialist critique of American politics. Professor Reed breaks down why...
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MEP Hanna Gedin: The EU Is Losing Its Voice When It Comes to Upholding International Law
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli In this wide-ranging interview with the European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS), Hanna Gedin, Member of the European Parliament for Sweden’s Vänsterpartiet (Left Party, V) and Vice-Chair of The Left Group, reflects on Sweden’s post-election political deadlock, the...
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Benifei: An Alliance of Interests Between the Extreme Right & Techno-Oligarchs Threatens Democracies
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Can Europe defend its democracy when digital power is concentrated in the hands of a few tech billionaires? Host Selcuk Gultasli speaks with MEP Brando Benifei, Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation to the US and key figure behind the EU AI Act. Benifei breaks...
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Prof. Schlozman: American Voters Are Tired of Trumpism
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli American voters are experiencing deep Trump fatigue, but is anti-incumbent anger enough to save American democracy? Host Selcuk Gultasli speaks with Johns Hopkins Professor Daniel Schlozman about the 2026 midterm elections. They explore why material "deliverism" fails...
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Dr.Hasanović: Ethnically Defined Power Sharing in Bosnia Is the Algorithm That Reproduces the Crisis
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Clean biometric voting couldn't break Bosnia and Herzegovina's ethnopolitics on October 4. Joining host Selcuk Gultasli, University of Sarajevo Assistant Professor Dr. Jasmin Hasanović breaks down why replacing political leaders fails to fix a system where "ethnically...
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Varriale: Academics Should Engage Public Debate Without Turning Scholarship into Political Activism
Interview by Natalia Crane In an era of deep polarization, studying populism carries real-world consequences. In this episode, Dr. Amedeo Varriale reflects on his trajectory following the 2015 refugee crisis and Brexit, making a passionate defense of theoretical pluralism. Speaking with Natalia...
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Assoc. Prof. Guilherme Casarões: What Really Died on October 4 Was Brazil’s Democratic Pact Itself
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Brazil’s October 4, 2026 presidential election produced a first-round result that significantly altered the political landscape ahead of the October 25 runoff. Flávio Bolsonaro finished first with about 47% of the vote, ahead of incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da...
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Demographic Populism: Demography as a Political Battleground
Population stats, fertility rates, and migration flows aren't just objective numbers—they are being weaponized into existential political panics. Host Selcuk Gultasli covers the ECPS Panel on Demographic Populism, moderated by Dr. Klaudia Koxha and featuring scholars Oscar Mazzoleni, Alberta...
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Prof.Beauchamp: Democratic Socialism Could Have a MAGA-Sized Effect Without Winning Majority Support
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Does a political movement need to win over a majority of the country to transform a major party? Host Selcuk Gultasli speaks with Northeastern University’s Associate Professor Nick Beauchamp. They explore why MAGA’s dominance over the Republican Party isn't the same…
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Dr. Nogueira: Trump’s Influence Is Shaping Brazil’s Election, Making It a Important & Dangerous One
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Brazil's upcoming presidential election isn't just a domestic battle between Lulism and Bolsonarism—it's a high-stakes geopolitical contest. Host Selcuk Gultasli interviews Birkbeck Senior Lecturer Dr. Mara Nogueira to explore how US influence, economic tariffs, and…
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Dr. Semir Dzebo: Dayton Accomplished Peace in Bosnia, but It Has Not Been Great at Democracy
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Bosnia and Herzegovina approaches its October 4 elections amid renewed strain on the political architecture established by the Dayton Peace Agreement. More than three decades after the end of the 1992–95 war, questions of statehood, entity autonomy, ethnic...
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Prof. Michael Kazin: The Democratic Party Will Not Become a Socialist Party Anytime Soon
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli As the United States approaches the November 3 midterm elections, American politics is being reshaped by two powerful but asymmetrical currents: the consolidation of MAGA within a highly personalized Trump presidency and the growing visibility of democratic socialism...
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Prof. Kapidžić: Bosnia Faces Not Only Illiberal Normalization but the Slow Death of Its Institutions
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Bosnia and Herzegovina approaches its October 4 elections at a moment when the country’s post-Dayton political order is once again under pressure over statehood, entity autonomy, ethnic representation, and democratic legitimacy. The campaign is shaped less by a...
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Dr. Sofie Blombäck: The Debate Over Sweden’s Newest Citizens Has Become Quite Ugly
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Sweden’s 2026 general election has brought into sharp relief a paradox that has been developing for more than a decade: the Sweden Democrats (SD) may lose electoral ground while continuing to shape the ideological and policy environment in which other parties compete....
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Prof. Merkel on the Rise of the AfD: Trying to Outflank the Far Right Is Not a Winning Strategy
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli The interview between Selcuk Gultasli (ECPS) and Professor Wolfgang Merkel addresses the fragmentation of Germany’s political center, the rise of the AfD, and the strategies mainstream parties should use to navigate these electoral shifts. Here is our interview with...
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Assoc. Prof. Loxbo: Sweden Has Become an Extreme Case of Radical-Right Mainstreaming
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli. Giving an interview to the European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS), Associate Professor Karl Loxbo, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science at Stockholm University, argues that Sweden has become an unusually far-reaching case of radical-right...
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Dr. Gefjon Off: The Sweden Democrats Lost Votes, but Its Influence Remains Clear
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Giving an interview to the European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS), Dr. Gefjon Off, a postdoctoral research associate in Comparative Politics at the University of Hamburg, argues that the Sweden Democrats’ electoral setback in Sweden’s September 13, 2026 election...
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Prof. Adam Bodnar: Democracies Must Strengthen Civil Society Before Illiberalism Returns
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli with Professor Adam Bodnar, constitutional lawyer, human rights scholar, Senator of Poland, and former Minister of Justice (2023–2025) and Commissioner for Human Rights (2015–2021). In this interview with the European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS), Bodnar…
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Dr. Suda: Answer to the AfD Isn't Ending Firewall or Copying Its Agenda, but Delivering for Voters
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Germany’s party system is entering a period of profound strain as the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) expands beyond its earlier identity as a protest formation and establishes itself as a durable force across an increasingly broad range of policy domains. In this...
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Professor Lane Kenworthy: Trumpism Could Disappear If a More Appealing Agenda Comes Along
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli As the 2026 US midterms loom, is Trumpism a permanent ideological realignment or a fragile, temporary takeover of a hollow Republican Party? Host Selcuk Gultasli sits down with UC San Diego Professor Lane Kenworthy to discuss the vulnerability of American political...
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Professor Andreas Önnerfors: If SD Enters Government, Swedish Politics Will Enter a New Phase
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Sweden’s 2026 election on September 13 may mark a decisive stage in the normalization of the radical right. With the Sweden Democrats (SD) polling ahead of the Moderates in several surveys and the survival of the Liberals remaining uncertain, the central question is…
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Prof. Niklas Bolin: The Sweden Democrats Have Normalized Without Becoming Less Populist
Interview by Selcuk GultasliFive days before Sweden’s September 13 parliamentary election, the country enters the final stretch of the campaign with an unusually fluid electoral landscape. The latest Novus/TV4 poll places the opposition at 50.3 percent and the Tidö parties at 47.9 percent, with…
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Prof. Howard Lavine: The Democrats Are Making Themselves Vulnerable by Using the Socialist Label
Interview by Selcuk GultasliIn an interview with the European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS), Professor Howard Lavine, Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota and former Director of the Center for the Study of Political Psychology, argues that the Democratic Party’s...
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Dr. Valverde: Autocracies See Independent Civic Space Itself as a Strategic Threat
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli In an era marked by democratic backsliding, transnational populism, and growing contestation over international norms, the struggle over civic space has become increasingly central to the future of liberal democracy. In this wide-ranging interview with the European...
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Imran Bayoumi: The Decline of Multilateralism Rewards Both Populism and Authoritarian Powers
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli In an era of intensifying geopolitical fragmentation, weakening multilateral institutions, and increasingly transactional diplomacy, authoritarian and populist governments may find themselves unusually well positioned to exploit the emerging international disorder. In...
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Prof. Mazzoleni & Dr. Koxha: Demographic Populism Links Cultural Survival to Biological Reproduction
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Declining birth rates and aging populations are real challenges, but how do they become existential moral panics? In this episode, Professor Oscar Mazzoleni and Dr. Klaudia Koxha break down their ground-breaking research connecting populism studies to critical...
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Prof. Gest: The Way Countries Treat Their Most Vulnerable Is Indicative of State of Their Democracy
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli In an era when democratic backsliding is typically diagnosed through institutional erosion—the weakening of courts, legislatures, electoral safeguards, and checks on executive power—Professor Justin Gest directs attention to a less visible but potentially…
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Prof. Danielle Allen: AI Should Strengthen Human Judgment, Not Replace It
Interview by Selcuk GultasliWhat happens when generative AI interacts with the foundational "technologies" of representative democracy? In this episode, political philosopher Professor Danielle Allen (Harvard University) challenges the idea that AI is merely a tech disruption. She unpacks the…
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Dr. Folsz: Even Deeply Entrenched Competitive Authoritarian Regimes Have Vulnerabilities
Interview by Selcuk GultasliFor more than a decade, Hungary occupied a unique place in the comparative study of democratic backsliding. Under Viktor Orbán and Fidesz, it became widely regarded as the paradigmatic example of competitive authoritarianism within the European Union—a political system...
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Assoc. Prof. Gamboa: By the Time the Authoritarian Threat Becomes Evident, It’s Usually Too Late
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Modern autocrats don't use tanks to overthrow democracies; they use legal reforms, elections, and institutional maneuvers. In this episode, host Selcuk Gultasli sits down with Notre Dame’s Associate Professor Laura Gamboa to shift the spotlight onto the true defenders...
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Prof. Scheppele on Hungary: Reform Constitutional Court, Restore Judicial Checks & Change Election Law
Interview by Selcuk GultasliWhat happens when an autocrat entrenches their power so deeply into the law that following the rules only protects the old regime? Host Selcuk Gultasli sits down with Princeton Professor Kim Lane Scheppele to explore Hungary's high-stakes attempt at democratic...
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[Lecture] Summer School—Prof. Kotzur: Can the EU lead? Policy Tools, Regulatory Power & Global Influence
Traditional geopolitics measures power by military might and coercive force. By those standards, the European Union is structurally disadvantaged. But is that the wrong yardstick? Host Selcuk Gultasli wraps up the 2026 ECPS Academy Summer School with Professor Markus Kotzur (University of…
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[Lecture] ECPS Academy Summer School — Prof. Axel Berkofsky: EU-Japan Relations and Populism
Since 1955, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has maintained near-unbroken control over Japanese politics, creating an illusion of permanent stability. In this episode, Professor Axel Berkofsky challenges the idea that Japan is immune to global political trends. He joins Dr. Sébastien Goulard to...
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[Lecture] Dr. Pugliese: The EU’s Policy Towards Asia Amidst Changing US–China Security & Trade Dynamics
The "Indo-Pacific" is all over contemporary diplomatic speech, but it isn’t just a neutral label on a map. Connecting from Taipei, Dr. Giulio Pugliese (EUI / King's College London) joins host Selcuk Gultasli to strip away the jargon. He argues the Indo-Pacific is a carefully crafted strategic...
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[Lecture] Summer School 2026 – Prof. Reuben Wong: Strategic Autonomy, De-risking & EU Economic Security Tools
"Strategic autonomy" and "de-risking" have become the ultimate buzzwords in European politics, but what do they actually mean? Host Selcuk Gultasli covers a key session from the ECPS Academy Summer School 2026 featuring National University of Singapore's Assoc. Prof. Reuben Wong. Bringing a…
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[Lecture] ECPS Academy Summer School 2026 – Prof. Erik Jones: The Political Economy of EU–US Trade Relations
The alliance between Europe and the United States has weathered countless trade wars and diplomatic disputes, but the current fracture is different. Host Selcuk Gultasli covers a pivotal lecture from the ECPS Academy Summer School 2026 featuring Professor Erik Jones and moderator Professor Elaine...
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[Lecture] ECPS Summer School 2026–Prof. Arlo Poletti: The Evolution of EU Trade Policy & the Global Trade Order
Global trade is no longer just about open markets and economic efficiency—it’s an arena for geopolitical warfare. Host Selcuk Gultasli covers the opening lecture of the ECPS Academy Summer School 2026, featuring Professor Arlo Poletti and moderator Dr. Sonali Chowdhry. They unpack how the…
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Prof. Michael Shifter: Anti-Establishment Politics, Not Ideology, Drove Colombia’s Election
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli With the historic presidency of Gustavo Petro coming to an end, Colombia has elected Abelardo "El Tigre" de la Espriella in the closest presidential race in its history. In this episode, Latin American politics expert Professor Michael Shifter challenges the…
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Prof. Aziz Huq: The US Supreme Court Has Created the Conditions for Democratic Backsliding
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Democratic backsliding doesn’t require a military coup—it can happen completely legally. Host Selcuk Gultasli sits down with University of Chicago Law Professor Aziz Huq to discuss how constitutional mechanics are being weaponized against democracy. They break down…
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MEP López Aguilar: The Return Regulation Is a Violation of EU Fundamental Values
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli For decades, the European Union was built on supranational cooperation and human dignity. Today, those constitutional foundations are under heavy fire. In this episode, Spain’s former Minister of Justice, MEP Juan Fernando López Aguilar, breaks down the dangerous…
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Asst. Prof. Gino Pauselli: LGBTQ+ Rights Have Become a Symbolic Boundary in Global Politics
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli When countries clash over human rights treaties at the United Nations, the arguments run much deeper than specific policies. In this episode, international relations scholar Dr. Gino Pauselli joins us to explain how issues like migration and LGBTQ+ rights have become...
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Prof. Tanaka: Populism Remains a Risk in Peru, but It Is Far More Contained Today
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Peru's razor-thin presidential election has brought Keiko Fujimori to power, reviving fears of a return to 1990s-style governance. But is the country's democracy actually down for the count? Renowned political scientist Professor Martín Tanaka (PUCP) joins host Selcuk...
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Prof. Cynthia McClintock: The Desire for an ‘Iron Fist’ Helped Shift Peru to the Right
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Peru’s 2026 presidential election represents one of the most consequential democratic tests in contemporary Latin America. The razor-thin runoff between Keiko Fujimori and Roberto Sánchez unfolded against a backdrop of escalating organized crime, allegations of...
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Prof. Carrión: I Am Very Pessimistic About the Prospects for Peruvian Democracy
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Peru’s 2026 presidential election has once again exposed the deep structural weaknesses that have long characterized the country’s democratic system. The narrow runoff victory of Keiko Fujimori over Roberto Sánchez followed an extraordinarily fragmented first-round...
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Eric Hacopian: Armenia Won’t Become Turkey, but the Warning Signs Are There
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli In the wake of profound national trauma and shifting global alliances, Armenia's political trajectory is far more complex than a simple choice between Russia and the West. Renowned political analyst Eric Hacopian joins host Selcuk Gultasli to challenge the dominant...
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Professor Javier Corrales: Even Rigged Elections Can Still Produce Competitive Outcomes
Interview by Selcuk Gultasli Across much of the contemporary world, democratic pessimism has become increasingly pervasive. From Latin America and Eastern Europe to South Asia and the United States, concerns about democratic backsliding, executive aggrandizement, institutional capture, and the...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Expert conversations on populism, democracy, and political change worldwide. Populisms Talks delivers sharp, research-based insights into the forces reshaping politics today.
HOSTED BY
European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS) - www.populismstudies.org
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How many episodes does Populism Talks have?
Populism Talks currently has 94 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Populism Talks about?
Expert conversations on populism, democracy, and political change worldwide. Populisms Talks delivers sharp, research-based insights into the forces reshaping politics today.
How often does Populism Talks release new episodes?
Populism Talks has 94 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Populism Talks is created and hosted by European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS) - www.populismstudies.org.
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