Overview: During the second half of this course, we studied the evolu

Overview: During the second half of this course, we studied the evolution of populism in the
European context, examined both populist radical left parties and populist radical right parties, and
concluded with a discussion of the effects of populism on democracy. For your final examination,
you will examine the extent to populism is “good” or “bad” for democracy, drawing on the
European context for your case material.
Prompt: Over the course of the last several years, there has been a lot of debate as to whether
populism is “good” or “bad” for democracy, with some scholars, such as Benjamin Moffitt
contending that whether populism is “good” or “bad” depends on how populism is performed and
on its political context. Using course materials relating to the European experience with
populism, is populism “good” for democracy in the European context? Why? Why not?
1. Briefly define the three components of the “populist political style.”
2. Detail how/whether each of the three components of the “populist political style” could be
performed in ways which are “good” for democracy.
3. Describe how/whether each of the three components of the “populist political style” could
be performed in ways which are “bad” for democracy.
4. Apply the above to the European context to build your argument as to whether populism is
“good” for democracy in the European context.
Requirements: The paper should provide a well-organized argument to the prompt, using course
materials (lecture, course readings, current events materials, etc.) to substantiate your argument.
In terms of format, the essay should: be 6-8 double spaced pages in length, use 12-point font
and standard one-inch margins, and contain a bibliography (which does not count towards
the page limit). Please be advised that papers which 1) lack a clear thesis statement and/or
2) show little or no familiarity with course readings will be penalized. There is a handout on
the course website to assist with formatting a social science paper. You may use either MLA or
APA format to cite sources within your paper.
Below are the readings that are to be used to support the argument. Please use them wisely.
There is a powerpoint from the class lecture that will help a lot with answering the prompt.
This link might also help:
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/europes-migration-crisis
Thank you.