2025/03/24 by Philipp Köker, Tilko Swalve, Merle Huber +2 · 1 voice
Social Sciences · Computer Science · #Populism, Right-Wing Movements #Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection #Judicial and Constitutional Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/13510347.2025.2470765
Research on the dangers of authoritarian populism for liberal democracy has almost exclusively focused on “populists in power” and those cases where dramatic changes have occurred. However, there is a notable gap in understanding the strategies and dangers of “populists before power”. We argue that authoritarian populists also pose a threat where they cannot effect constitutional change. By using “delegitimization strategies” they can significantly weaken liberal democratic institutions through a systematic erosion of public trust. Focusing on independent judiciaries as targets, we illustrate how attacks that link criticism of decisions, judges and judicial institutions with narratives of systemic failure may unfold and highlight the value of delegitimization within the larger populist tool kit. Thereby, the paper lays the conceptual foundation for an integrated research agenda on “populist before power”, including counter-reactions to delegitimization attempts, and contributes to the growing literature on the relationship between populism and democracy.