The Populist Wave: Democratic Erosion, Institutional Resilience, and the Future of Liberal Governance in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

This paper examines the rise of populism in twenty-first-century democracies and its implications for democratic governance, institutional resilience, and political legitimacy. Drawing on the ideational and anti-pluralist approaches to populism, it situates the contemporary populist wave within broader historical and structural contexts. The study argues that contemporary populism is driven by three interrelated dynamics: the legitimacy crisis of neoliberal governance, cultural anxieties associated with rapid social transformation, and the erosion of intermediary institutions that traditionally connected citizens to political power. Through comparative case studies of Hungary, the United States, and India, the paper explores how populist movements interact with democratic institutions and contribute, under certain conditions, to processes of democratic backsliding. At the same time, it highlights the importance of judicial independence, civil society, federalism, and participatory democratic innovations as sources of institutional resilience. The paper concludes that democracy's long-term stability depends upon its capacity for responsiveness, inclusion, and self-renewal.