ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors start by presenting the ideational definition of populism. The ideational definition of populism has three main parts: a Manichean and moral cosmology; the proclamation of 'the people' as a homogenous and virtuous community; and the depiction of 'the elite' as a corrupt and self-serving entity. Populism, elitism, and pluralism differ fundamentally from classical ideologies such as conservatism, liberalism, and socialism. The authors elaborate their theoretical framework, which brings in the notion of populist attitudes and their activation. They argue that populist attitudes function as a latent demand or a disposition. This is a common concept from the attitudinal and trait literature in psychology, which recognizes that many attitudes captured in survey instruments are not always fully expressed. The authors show the implications of the theory for measurement and method. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
