The Age of Populism: Reflections on the Self-enmity of Democracy

Abstract

The central political paradox of the times is that the factors that contributed to the success of democracy are the ones that threaten it today. The crisis of trust in democratic institutions in Europe is the outcome not of the failure of the democratisation of European societies but of its success. The question is no longer how elites can regain the trust of the people; the question is how a liberal democracy can function in an environment in which the elites will be permanently mistrusted, regardless of what they do or how transparent the mechanisms of governing are.