Populism and political parties

Due to the growing support they have obtained around the world in recent years, populist parties currently represent one of the most debated topics in political studies. But what does the term populist party exactly refer to? What kind of impact has the phenomenon of populism had on the study of political parties? And vice versa, how has the analysis focused on populist political parties contributed to the development of populism studies? Moreover, what can be said about the current and past waves of populism and their causes? Is it possible to analyse the phenomenon through the lens of the concept of cleavage, as many scholars have done? This chapter will try to answer these questions.