ABSTRACT
A majority of scholarly contributions consider populism in stark contrast to liberal democracy and constitutionalism. It would however be more advantageous to analyze illiberalism in a comparative-empirical fashion, studying it in distinctive political contexts and as manifesting itself in a variety of ways. This chapter argues that while a critical position towards liberalism (in particular liberal legalism) and a sceptical stance vis-à-vis liberal constitutionalism are common features of populism, this does not mean that populism ought to be understood in straightforward, Manichean terms as the pure opposite of liberal democracy and constitutionalism. In the chapter, current debates on populism and constitutional democracy are discussed first, and it is suggested that an empirical, rather than purely normative assessment, is of important value for understanding the phenomenon of populism as well as for the study of constitutionalism. Subsequently, right-wing, conservative forms of populism and their relation to liberalism will be discussed; and second, left-wing populism’s critique and also its endorsement of liberalism and liberal democracy will be engaged with. One important insight that emerges from such an analysis is the significant diversity of populist positions vis-à-vis liberalism.
