Abstentionism, populism, and the crisis of democracy

The study addresses two main issues: abstensionism and populism. On the one hand, we hold that it is very important to analyse, however briefly, the extent and the principal characteristics of abstentionism. In doing so, we therefore focus on one side of the process of mutual withdrawal from conventional politics. On the other hand, we will reflect on what we consider the most compelling challenge to party democracy, that of populism. The two points, which are strictly intertwined with each other, will be addressed with reference to European democracies. In the third section we consider how and why the two pehnomena are intertwined.