Filtering Populist Claims to Fight Populism. The Italian Case in a Comparative Perspective

This book aims to explore the relationship between populism and constitutionalism and will offer the perspective of a comparative lawyer from Continental Europe. In order to depict the relationship between populism and constitutionalism I shall rely on two concepts: mimesis and “parasitism” (Urbinati, 2018; Fournier, 2018). Indeed, populism tend to borrow concepts and categories of constitutional law by altering them and the axiological hierarchies of post totalitarian constitutionalism. Starting from the analysis of the relationship between constitutionalism and populism this book tries to address the following research question: “How can constitutional democracies channel populist claims without jeopardising the legacy of post WWII constitutionalism”? In this respect for this project I shall look at 1) those modalities through which the core of representative democracy is secured, and 2) those strategies aimed at filtering some of the claims presented by populist movements.