Populism, Polarization, and Personalist Leadership

Populist appeals and personalist leadership have altered political competition across Asia, often reshaping relations between leaders, parties, institutions, and voters. This panel welcomes work on the sources and effects of populist mobilization and political polarization. Papers may explore leadership styles, anti-elite narratives, media strategies, party transformation, institutional conflict, and the ways polarized political environments affect democratic accountability and the prospects for political compromise.