Introduction to the Issue on Rise of Populism: Causes, Consequences and Policy Implications?

Populism is on the rise. It goes hand in hand with far-left or far-right party slogans and/or strong, personalized political leadership and polarized rhetoric: The presidency of Donald Trump in the US and the campaigns for the Brexit referendum are two prominent examples in recent years. Several EU member states, namely France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Greece, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany, have experienced how quickly populists win voters in national elections. With the presidential election in the US and European elections in 2024, many people fear a further rise in political polarization and populism in the Western world.

In this issue of the EconPol Forum, our authors examine the problems posed by populism. They take a critical look at the main economic and political causes and consequences. And they shed light on the challenges ahead and how economic policy should respond to this global development.

How can universal, high-quality education standards be achieved? In “Economic Policy and Its Impact,” the authors show that the world is far from getting there, even though it plays an important role in economic development. In “Institutions Across the World,” the authors analyze long-term trends in inequality. The focus is on changes in labor market outcomes, composition, and redistribution in Germany. “Big-Data-Based Economic Insights” looks at the semantic shifts in EU competition law and the lessons learned from the Covid-19 crisis for payment systemsn and fiscal policy.