What has populism ever done for you? Are populist governments successful in producing economic and social change?

Abstract

The rhetoric of populism stresses benefiting “the people” who have been ignored by a corrupt elite, whether that elite is political or economic. If the reality is to match the rhetoric, then populist governments should provide social and economic benefits for the public, including healthcare, education, and income redistribution. This paper examines the effects of populist governments in the American South during the time of the Great Depression on a number of indicators of social and economic well-being. The general finding is that the populist governments were successful in the short term in producing changes, but that these changes were not sustained over time.