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The essential guide to understanding what populism is, why it´s flourishing and what we should do about it

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Every day we hear that the rise of populism threatens democracy around the world, but is this really true? Did populism cause the current crisis, or is it the other way around?

To understand the state of our politics right now, we must get to grips with this contested concept.

Simon Tormey breaks down the defining aspects of populism, what sets it apart from other styles of politics, and what - if anything - we ought to do about it.

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´In this provocative, well-written new book, Tormey argues that populism can be both a threat to democratic values and process, but equally a means for the expansion of democracy... Essential reading for those seeking to understand one of the most important, but often misunderstood, political phenomena of the twenty-first century.´
Duncan McDonnell, Professor of Politics, Griffith University

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Simon Tormey is Professor of Politics and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law at the University of Bristol. The author of many books and articles on contemporary politics, he regularly appears in broadcast and print media commenting on British and European politics.

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