Unlikely Populist of Europe: A Case Study of Emmanuel Macron

This entry argues that Emmanuel Macron’s views and policies have populist overtones. It starts by contextualizing Macron’s electoral victory and the political discourse of the time. It is followed by an analysis of Emmanuel Macron’s political views and an argument that they are a mixed bag attempting to maintain stability in society. The entry goes on to analyze certain policies of the Macron regime and establishes the populist leanings of the same. There is a specific focus on Macron’s actions related to terrorism and his economic policies. The following section of the entry attempts to position Macron’s populism on the political spectrum and demystify it using the concept of “Technocratic Populism.” This is followed by a section that describes the challenges to Macron’s populism. The concluding section sums up the arguments of the preceding sections and gives recommendations for further research.