Laurenz Guenther

This seminar discusses research on populism showing that populist parties gain support by addressing gaps in political representation — specifically, aligning with voters’ genuine policy preferences — rather than merely channeling protest or anti-elite sentiment.

The June 2024 European Elections will see once again a competition between mainstream parties and populist, or nativist movements. Laurenz Guenther finds that, while policymaking represents the economic attitudes of citizens relatively well, there exist large representation gaps on cultural issues in nearly all European countries.

With Laurenz Guenther (IEP@BU) and Stefano Feltri (IEP@BU).