Greece in crisis: austerity, populism and the politics of blame

Vasilopoulou, S., Halikiopoulou, D. and Exadaktylos, T. (2014) Greece in crisis: austerity, populism and the politics of blame. Journal of Common Market Studies, 52 (2). pp. 388-402. ISSN 1468-5965 doi: 10.1111/jcms.12093

Abstract/Summary

Within the broader debate on the Greek crisis, the theory of ‘populist democracy’ postulates that populism is fundamental to the sustenance of the Greek political system and is at the heart of Greece's endemic domestic weaknesses. This article tests this assumption empirically through the use of a sophisticated framing analysis of speeches delivered by the leaders of the five parties in the Greek parliament in the period 2009–11. The findings confirm that populism: (a) is expressed through the narratives of political actors; (b) is observed across the party system; (c) is expressed in the forms of blame-shifting and exclusivity; and (d) differs depending on position in the party system. The article contributes to the debate by testing and building on the theory of democratic populism, providing a novel way of measuring and operationalizing populism and identifying a new typology that distinguishes between mainstream and fringe populism.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/35564
Identification Number/DOI	10.1111/jcms.12093
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Politics, Economics and International Relations > Politics and International Relations
Publisher	Wiley
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