Should rising economic inequality around the world be blamed for the rise of populism?
At the beginning of the second round, Ivan Timofeev, a program director of RIAC, delivered a welcoming speech. Together with Arik Burakovsky from the Fletcher School of Tufts University, colleagues introduced the Debate participants and started voting. Before the start of the discussion, the audience's voices were distributed as follows:
Should growing economic inequality around the world be blamed for the rise of populism?
Yes, it should: 25%
No, it shouldn't: 65%
Undecided: 10%
The discussion was opened by representatives of the team supporting the "yes" position on the question "Should the growing economic inequality around the world be blamed for the rise of populism?". Katrina Burgess of Tufts University believes that economic inequality is not only a cause but also a necessary condition for the rise of populism in the world. In her opening speech, Dr. Burgess also spoke of the United States as a country affected by populist politics. Igor Istomin from MGIMO noted the importance of correctly defining populism and the current trends of populism.
Should growing economic inequality around the world be blamed for the rise of populism?
Yes, it should: 25%
No, it shouldn't: 65%
Undecided: 10%
The discussion was opened by representatives of the team supporting the "yes" position on the question "Should the growing economic inequality around the world be blamed for the rise of populism?". Katrina Burgess of Tufts University believes that economic inequality is not only a cause but also a necessary condition for the rise of populism in the world. In her opening speech, Dr. Burgess also spoke of the United States as a country affected by populist politics. Igor Istomin from MGIMO noted the importance of correctly defining populism and the current trends of populism.
Pavel Kanevsky (Moscow State University) and David Art (Tufts University) argued in favor of the "no" position. Pavel Kanevsky believes that populism is part of political culture, and offered to judge how much populism correlates with economic inequality and economic indicators in general. In his opinion, the causes of radicalization are much more complex than just economic inequality itself. Further, David Art noted that culture is more important to understanding the phenomenon of the radical legal movement than economics. In his presentation, Professor Art drew attention to the types of populism and also raised the question of whether rival autocrats are populists. According to David Art, the most significant phenomenon in recent years has not been the rise of populism, but the consolidation of regimes that pose an ideological challenge to liberal democracies.
In the Q&A session, experts discussed triggers for populism, the relationship between democratization and populism, and the issue of social inequality. Egor Spirin, the intern at the Center for Advanced American Studies at MGIMO University, spoke on behalf of the community of young international affairs experts. In his commentary, Egor examined trade policy in the context of the problem of populism. Finally, the experts examined populism on the example of different states, from Latin America to China. The general opinion is that the quality of institutions and the quality of public policy are no less important indicators than economic indicators in the problem of the growth of populism.
At the end of the debate, viewers' votes on the discussion were distributed as follows:
Should growing economic inequality around the world be blamed for the rise of populism?
Yes: 29%
No: 71%
Undecided: 0%
A recording of the session can be viewed here.
In the Q&A session, experts discussed triggers for populism, the relationship between democratization and populism, and the issue of social inequality. Egor Spirin, the intern at the Center for Advanced American Studies at MGIMO University, spoke on behalf of the community of young international affairs experts. In his commentary, Egor examined trade policy in the context of the problem of populism. Finally, the experts examined populism on the example of different states, from Latin America to China. The general opinion is that the quality of institutions and the quality of public policy are no less important indicators than economic indicators in the problem of the growth of populism.
At the end of the debate, viewers' votes on the discussion were distributed as follows:
Should growing economic inequality around the world be blamed for the rise of populism?
Yes: 29%
No: 71%
Undecided: 0%
A recording of the session can be viewed here.
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