In 2024, forty countries are holding elections, representing 41% of the world’s population. In some respects, it’s a banner year for democracy – but also, a year in which many commentators and political scientists have charted the rise of right-wing populist movements – some of which seek to undermine public trust in the fairness of elections, in the institutions that run them, and the media that reports on them. 

So what exactly is populism, and how valid are the concerns of those who see it as a threat to democracy itself?

Today’s guest, Benjamin Moffitt, is Associate Professor of Politics and Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow at the National School of Arts and Humanities at ACU (Melbourne). He describes his research as located at the intersection of comparative politics, contemporary political theory and political communications, and focusing on contemporary populism across the globe.

Benjamin is the author of three books on populism: 'Populism' (Polity, 2020), 'Political Meritocracy and Populism: Curse or Cure?' (with Mark Chou & Octavia Bryant, Routledge, 2020), and 'The Global Rise of Populism: Performance, Political Style and Representation' (Stanford University Press, 2016). He’s also the editor of ‘Populism in Global Perspective: A Performative and Discursive Approach’ (with Pierre Ostiguy and Francisco Panizza). 

In recent times, Benjamin has been researching how populists use visual media, and how visual media covers populist leaders, for an Australian Research Council-funded project called 'The Visual Politics of Populism'. 

He has also been examining how democracy can be defended in times of political discontent and democratic instability, focusing on the role of social integration and welfare.

The photos of Donald Trump with 300 burgers discussed in this episode can be seen here.

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