The Democratic Potential of Transnational Populism

Abstract

Populism is often presented in academic and popular literature as a threat to human rights and democracy. Such approaches critique populism, while failing to ask whether populism has any pro-human rights or pro-democracy potential, and if so under which circumstances. While not wishing to ignore the dangerous and damaging guises of populism, this contribution explores whether a particular type of populism, transnational populism, might be particularly suited to the expansion of who is included in the human rights regime and in practices of democracy.

Keywords: populism, human rights, democracy