Dostatek dla swoich: Specyfika populistycznej polityki społecznej

Abstract

Research on contemporary populism reveals a relative deficit of comprehensive, rather than fragmentary, studies on specific public policies, particularly those implemented by populists who rule independently, without coalition partners. The aim of the article is to determine the specificity and a comparative look at three different varieties of populist social policy: Latin American, Western European and Central and Eastern European. Given the relatively poor recognition of the topic in the scientific literature, especially from a comparative perspective, the comments presented here do not constitute a rigorous, highly disciplined comparative analysis of selected cases. Rather, supported by a more general theoretical reflection, the author provides a general overview of the situation, supplemented by a handful of empirical illustrations. These highlight model patterns of social populism observed in various parts of the world (such as social chauvinism or social clientelism), which show certain similarities while also standing out due to their district regional and national specificities.