Playing populist: the relationship of convenience between populist language and demarcationist ideological positions in the Italian parliament (1948-2020)

Abstract

Populist language permeates political debate. While much has been said on the shape and colours of populism, less is known on its strategic use. This article offers a diachronic overview (1948–2020) of Italian deputies’ strategic use of populist language, by applying a novel dictionary to a new dataset on Italian parliamentary debates. Our analysis shows that populism has no single political colour, as left- and right-wing parties use it to a similar extent. Differently, populist claim-making is used more by parties with demarcationist ideological positions, as it is likely to reinforce the persuasiveness of their in-group/out-group thinking. Finally, it is used less by ruling parties, as their governing status asks them to adopt a more inclusive style of communication.