Populism—a regime where the people rule—is impossible because it is not clear who “the people” are and what they want. Populism requires the illusion of a ruler who incarnates the people but who, in reality can rule only a part of the people to the detriment of the rest. The only way populism would be possible is if the people is—or rather are—conceived as a set of separate individuals, each of whom governs himself or herself.

Pierre Lemieux is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and an Economist in the Department of Management Sciences at the Université du Québec en Outaouais (Canada).
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Other Independent Review articles by Pierre Lemieux
Winter 2015/16 From Lemonade Stands to 2065
Summer 2015 The State and Public Choice
Summer 2006 Social Welfare, State Intervention, and Value Judgments
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