Theme in the Politics of Inequality research programme
This research examines the rise of authoritarianism and populism in the Global South and North in the twenty-first century. The electoral success of right-wing populist leaders and their appeal to “strongman” leadership, “us versus them” and exclusionary discourses, and overt anti-democratic principles have sent shockwaves and created political instability across the world in what is oftentimes dubbed as part of a global “Authoritarianism’s New Wave”. The project examines public opinion surveys carried worldwide since the 1990s to map out the values, perceptions of social change, and political preferences underpinning support for right-wing populism in varied social contexts, and under which circumstances leaders of such political movements have been successful to capitalize on such attitudes and expectations. It also advances methodological contributions in the use of social surveys to measure authoritarian and populist attitudes in comparative social research.
Lead investigator and co-ordinator at LSE:
Dr Fabrício Mendes Fialho
Research Fellow