What’s behind the rise of populism?

How do people come to feel represented or unrepresented in politics? What role do place, inequality, and everyday experiences play in shaping political attitudes? And what can the rise of populism tell us about trust in democracy today? To explore these issues, Richard Westcott (host) talks to Davide Luca from the University of Cambridge and Laurenz Guenther from the Toulouse School of Economics. In this episode of Crossing Channels, Richard Westcott (host) talks to Davide Luca from the University of Cambridge and Laurenz Guenther from the Toulouse School of Economics about what lies behind the rise of populism. They explore why populism is not only about elections or political leaders, but also about how people experience representation, inequality, place and trust in democracy. The conversation examines how spatial inequality, economic anxiety, cultural attitudes and social media shape political behaviour, why some voters feel unheard by mainstream parties, and what democratic systems can do to rebuild stronger connections with citizens. Listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platform Season 5 Episode 8 transcript: MS Word / PDF For more information about the Crossing Channels podcast series and the work of the Bennett School of Public Policy and IAST visit our websites at https://www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.iast.fr/. Follow us on Linkedin and Bluesky.