Xs we share: Context similarity, culture, and the diffusion of populism.

Do populist ideas travel across borders? Anecdotal evidence suggests as much, yet so far we lack a systematic assessment of whether diffusion takes place, and if so under which conditions. We argue that context similarity enables the diffusion of populism among parties as it eases the adaption of po...

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Published in:American Journal of Political Science (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) Vol. 70; no. 1; pp. 256 - 272
Main Authors: Wiesehomeier, Nina, Düpont, Nils, Ruth‐Lovell, Saskia P.
Format: Article
Published: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Jan2026
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Jan2026
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      pub: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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        10.1111/ajps.12942
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        atl: Xs we share: Context similarity, culture, and the diffusion of populism.
      aug:
        au:
          Wiesehomeier, Nina
          Düpont, Nils
          Ruth‐Lovell, Saskia P.
        affil:
          School of Politics, Economics & Global Affairs, IE University, Madrid, Spain
          CRC 1342 "Global Dynamics of Social Policy", University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
          Department of Political Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
      su:
        Economic exclusion
        Populism
        Culture
        Political parties
        Sociocultural factors
        Income inequality
      sug:
        subj:
          Economic exclusion
          Populism
          Culture
          Political parties
          Sociocultural factors
          Income inequality
      ab: Do populist ideas travel across borders? Anecdotal evidence suggests as much, yet so far we lack a systematic assessment of whether diffusion takes place, and if so under which conditions. We argue that context similarity enables the diffusion of populism among parties as it eases the adaption of populist framing of perceived grievances into the local context. Using a dyadic approach, we analyze diffusion effects among 923 parties in 67 countries from 1970 to 2018. We find that similar levels of political and economic exclusion foster learning from and emulating other parties abroad. We also uncover conditional effects for learning from other parties facing similar levels of income inequality or public sector corruption that hinge on a cultural prescreening. Combined, our results have important implications for a better understanding of diffusion processes in general and the spread of populist ideas around the globe in particular.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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