A Populist Axis? Analyzing Connections Between Populist, Economic, and Cultural Dimensions of Political Space

Andrei Zhirnov, Jan Philipp Thomeczek, Lorenza Antonucci, Michele Scotto di Vettimo, Roan Buma, Vladimir Cristea, Norbert Kersting, André Krouwel, Sven Lange, Alberto López Ortega, Jack Thompson, Roberta Di Stefano, Francesco Ruggeri, University of Exeter, United Kingdom, University of Potsdam, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, s College London, United Kingdom, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands, University of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, University of Erfurt, University of Leeds, United Kingdom, Sapienza University of Rome

Comparative Political Studies

Published online on January 31, 2026

Abstract

Comparative Political Studies, Ahead of Print.
What makes populist parties successful? What is the contribution of populist ideas to their appeal? How do they affect a voter’s choice? In this article, we treat populist orientation as just another dimension of spatial competition alongside economic and ...