Right-Wing Populists Threaten Business Interests in Liberal Democracies

Abstract

Right-wing populism is transforming the relationship between business and politics in capitalist democracies. “F*ck business” – Boris Johnson’s remark makes bluntly clear that the era when business and big banks were said to run the world is over. With the advent of Brexit and Trump, interest in populism has surged, but relatively little is known about how businesses are navigating populist politics. This contribution aims to enhance our understanding of European business responses to the populist right.

Keywords: business, campaigning, collective action, interests, mobilization, populism

JEL Classification: F15, F23, F52, F55, M14