Throughout the world, liberal democracy has come under stress. ‘Democratic backsliding’ – a gradual decline in the quality of democracy and erosion of its institutions – is a reality in many countries and many people no longer believe that liberal democracy offers the best prospects for the future. Populist politicians from different sides of the political spectrum benefit from this development and seek to accelerate it. Where they succeed, the consequence is not a change in policy but the deterioration of liberal constitutionalism as such.

This book examines the interplay between populist politics and constitutional developments: what underlying reasons can be identified for the success of populist politics in the early 21st century? Does constitutional and statutory law offer devices to prevent democratic backsliding? If so, under which conditions do they work and why do they fail? Drawing on the growing body of research on populism as a political phenomenon, on the erosion of liberal constitutionalism, and on the link between both, this volume analyses different possibilities for a public law response to populist politics.