A Dynamic Theory of Populism in Power

The relationship between populism and democracy is a hotly debated topic. Some believe that populism is inherently bad for democracy because it is anti-pluralist and confrontational. Others argue that populism can reinvigorate worn-out democracies in need of an infusion of greater popular participation. This book advances this debate by examining the empirical relationship between populism in power and democracy. Does populism in power always lead to regime change, that is, the demise of democracy? The answer is no. The impact of populism on democracy depends on the variety of populism in power: the worst outcomes in democratic governance are found under unconstrained populism. This book discusses the conditions that explain how populism becomes unconstrained, and advances a dynamic theory of change that shows how the late victories of populists build on early ones, resulting in greater power asymmetries. The book analyzes five populist presidencies in the Andes. In four of them (Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela), populism became unconstrained and regime change followed. In one case, Colombia, populism in power was contained and democracy survived. The concluding chapter places the Andean cases in comparative perspective and discusses how unconstrained populism in other cases (Nicaragua and Hungary) also lead to the end of electoral democracy. Where populism in power was constrained (Honduras and the United States), regime change did not materialize. This book advances a theory of populism that help us understand how democracies transition into non-democracies. To that extent, the book illuminates the processes of democratic erosion in our time.

The Tsunami Moment

This chapter chronicles the populist candidate’s rise to power, which follows a pattern resembling exponential growth: it starts slowly and grows steadily until it reaches an inflection point that marks an unstoppable moment. The term tsunami describes the first moment in the dynamic theory of populism in power, when insurgent populist candidates are able to tap into the existing mass dissatisfaction with political institutions and take advantage of growing elite disarray. As they become significant contenders, their momentum increases; seen as potential winners by others, they generate bandwagon effects and fascinate the media. These aspiring populist leaders expand their appeal through different ways. Some politicians associated with the old order bet on them and offer their support. Populist candidates expand the electorate by politically activating new actors or social forces, or by mobilizing previously apathetic voters.

A Dynamic Theory of Populism in Power

This chapter considers how populism in power leads to regime change in some cases, but not in others and shows how the difference is explained by the ability of populist leaders to navigate a key moment of confrontation with the opposition and the courts. This ability is determined by the strength of permissive conditions (public opinion support for institutional change). The necessary productive conditions are given by their decision to use the state’s repressive apparatus to prevail against the opposition. In some cases, another productive condition is present: the mobilization of civil society. Once the opposition is severely weakened, populist leaders find it much easier to accumulate greater power and to create an uneven playing field that reproduces their hold on power. By contrast, if the courts and other institutional actors defeat populist leaders in a key moment of confrontation, they will also constrain populist rule and avoid regime change.

Dynamics of the ideal self

PurposeThe ideal self has had a place in management literature in recent years with reference to identity and role change. However, except for a JMD article in 2006, there has been little theorizing on the ideal self, which is often treated as a static construct. The purpose of this article is to update and refine the concept and explain the dynamic nature of the construct.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper is based on a review of the recent management and psychology literature related to the ideal self and its components.FindingsThe authors propose a dynamic theory of the emerging ideal self and delineate how its components evolve over time.Research limitations/implicationsThe ideal self, or one's personal vision, is a major motivator of learning and change and the sustainability of such efforts. The time dynamic theory would encourage and guide longitudinal research using better variables and measures as well as help in conceptualizing the role of socialization, social identity and life/career stages.Practical implicationsWith a better theory of the ideal self, trainers, consultants, coaches and teachers can help people update their deep sense of purpose and the sustaining driver of learning and change the ideal self. It could help people and organizations address a major determinant of engagement.Originality/valueThis theory offers a temporal understanding of how the ideal self can motivate learning and change at different life and career eras, which can help in designing future research on identity-related transitions.

Ecological theory of mutualism: Robust patterns of stability and thresholds in two-species population models

Mutualisms are ubiquitous in nature, provide important ecosystem services, and involve many species of interest for conservation. Theoretical progress on the population dynamics of mutualistic interactions, however, comparatively lagged behind that of trophic and competitive interactions, leading to the impression that ecologists still lack a generalized framework to investigate the population dynamics of mutualisms. Yet, over the last 90 years, abundant theoretical work has accumulated, ranging from abstract to detailed. Here, we review and synthesize historical models of two-species mutualisms. We find that population dynamics of mutualisms are qualitatively robust across derivations, including levels of detail, types of benefit, and inspiring systems. Specifically, mutualisms tend to exhibit stable coexistence at high density and destabilizing thresholds at low density. These dynamics emerge when benefits of mutualism saturate, whether due to intrinsic or extrinsic density-dependence in intraspecific processes, interspecific processes, or both. We distinguish between thresholds resulting from Allee effects, low partner density, and high partner density, and their mathematical and conceptual causes. Our synthesis suggests that there exists a robust population dynamic theory of mutualism that can make general predictions.

Factors Influencing Curriculum Leadership of Primary and Secondary School Teachers from the Perspective of Field Dynamic Theory: An Empirical Investigation in China

Teacher curriculum leadership is in urgent demand to promote the sustainable advancement of curriculum reform, and an important guarantee for the sustainable development of students. It is of important theoretical and practical significance to clarify the influencing factors of the use and the development of teachers’ curriculum leadership. Based on Lewin’s field dynamic theory, this study conducts a multiple linear regression analysis on the data of 19,521 primary and secondary school teachers in 20 provinces of China, and investigates the influencing factors of teacher curriculum leadership from individual and school fields. The results show that individual field factors are the driving force for teachers to exert and develop curriculum leadership. When teachers have internal leading motivation, the school environment becomes an important inducing force. This finding confirms the realistic rationality of the field dynamic theory, and provides a clear direction for formulating relevant policies and practical plans for enhancing teacher curriculum leadership. That is, it is necessary to fully stimulate the internal motivation of teachers for curriculum leadership, but also to create a school environment for teachers to exercise and develop curriculum leadership.

The Dynamism of Daily Justice: A Person-Environment Fit Perspective on the Situated Value of Justice

Despite the generally positive consequences associated with justice, recent research suggests that supervisors cannot always enact justice, and responses to justice may not be universally positive. Thus, justice is likely to vary in both how much it is received and the employee reactions it engenders. In order to understand the range of justice responses, we develop a dynamic theory of justice by using person-environment fit to take both the value that an individual places in justice and the justice they received into account. Using this framework, we clarify the consequences of congruence versus incongruence in daily justice received and valued, which have implications for treatment discrepancies and subsequent work behavior. We also identify the differences between excess and deficient justice on cognitive and affective responses to justice. Our findings reveal that employees’ experience of justice is more complicated than simply whether the justice they received was high or low on a particular day. Using experience sampling and polynomial regression methods, we observe that not all instances in which employees receive high levels of justice are equivalent. In fact, we find that, depending on justice valued, receiving high levels of justice can be just as detrimental as receiving low levels. Additionally, we find that although both forms of justice misfit (excess and deficiency) cause-negative work outcomes, they affect these outcomes through differential responses to justice — with excess causing increased rumination and deficiency causing decreased positive affect. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for extant justice theory and for supervisor-employee work interactions.