International Dimensions and Effects of Populism

The doctoral training network IDEoPOP (International Dimensions and Effects of Populism) aims to study how the phenomenon of populism is related to world politics. While the global rise of populist political parties, governments and movements all over the world, from Hungary to India, from Italy to Mexico, from Turkey to El Salvador, has led to a great interest in the domestic implications of populism, its international effects have remained understudied. But populism impacts the foreign policy of single countries as well as international politics more broadly understood, and it is indeed frequently mentioned as one of the main causes for the crisis of the so-called liberal world order. The Doctoral Network IDEoPOP will consolidate the study of the international dimensions of populism as a research programme, shaping a new generation of scholars and developing policy-relevant insights on how to address the consequences of populism internationally. The focus will be on the ideational, institutional, diplomatic, and communicative international dimensions of populism. These will be addressed in four distinct Work Packages. The proposed doctoral network is driven by the following overarching research question: How are domestic and international politics related in populism, and how does populism impact international politics? As the phenomenon of populism is likely to continue affecting citizens' lives, state institutions, regional integration efforts, and the liberal international order in the years to come, a better understanding of its international implications is of utmost importance. Under the guidance of some of the leading scholars in this area, a new generation of doctoral researchers will be trained in the study of the international dimensions and effects of populism and will contribute to the Network's efforts at jointly addressing the overarching research question.