The European Trust Crisis and the Rise of Populism

Populism is the political method that advocates or claims to defend the common person, often in favorable contrast to a real or perceived hostile group (sometimes called "the elite"). Although populism is not a special case today and has existed throughout history, it is clear that it is on the rise today. The roots of the rising populism today in Europe and Great Britain can be traced back to the 2009 economic crisis.
 
I will share with you the results of the study called The European Trust Crisis and the Rise of Populism. The authors aimed to explain the cause of rising populist policies and they stated that the economic crisis experienced by Europe in 2009 is the main reason for such results. The economic problems caused increasing distrust toward Europe. This distrust fed the idea that anti-establishment policies can be better at providing welfare. One of the biggest consequences of this economic crisis was the increase in unemployment. They state that while unemployment in the EU was 7% in 2007, it climbed to 11% in 2013. Another important point to note is that this increase in unemployment did not show a homogeneous distribution in Europe. In Southern European countries such as Greece, Italy, and Spain, the increase in unemployment was much more dramatic. This was one point that created unrest in Europe and shook the balance. 

The authors found that different demographic and geographic variables were important in the Brexit vote. According to their estimates, education, urban living, employment status, and age were a few of the important variables for understanding individuals' Brexit decisions. For example, in rural areas where unemployment and economic conditions are more difficult, people voted to leave the European Union. In addition, the voter turnout for seniors (65+) is 90% in this vote, and voters in this age group tend to support Brexit.

A significant negative correlation was found between the Brexit vote and immigration and EU dependency. This result shows that most of the British population sees dependence on EU transfers as a negative effect that overshadows their sovereignty. In addition, immigration is seen by the British public as a potential job loss. This approach is one of the points that explains why the population voted against the EU, and such indicators are one reason for the rising populist policies in the UK.

As a result, the authors found that the biggest factor in rising populism was unemployment, but it's certainly not the only factor. There is a two-way relationship between unemployment and populism, populist policies can increase unemployment or increasing unemployment can increase support for populism. Therefore, the current wave of globalization and integration may have a significant impact on populism through migration and low competitiveness. Other socio-economic factors such as globalization, migration, low competition in the market, and distrust of the institutional order are also the nurturers of populist policies.