Business and Populism The Odd Couple?

Business and Populism analyses the relationship between right wing populism and business with a focus on business responses and strategies in the face of the global populist turn. In the neoliberal era business had become accustomed to favourable economic policy regimes and governance arrangements that facilitated business influence on key policy issues. The rise of populist movements in various parts of the world is widely perceived as a significant challenge to policymaking, mainstream political parties and even to liberal democracy. Yet we know very little about the impact of populism on business, beyond the fact that the anti-elite challenge of populism frequently targets business with policies to restrict globalization, outsourcing, and labour migration whilst at the same time embracing capitalism, low taxes, and deregulated markets. Populists also glory in presenting themselves as authentic representatives of the people, symbolizing this in their demotic language, their rejection of standards of 'polite' society and liberal 'woke' values, including attacking core intermediary institutions such as independent central banks, the judiciary, the civil service, universities and expert knowledge, and a free press central to post-1945 versions of liberal democracy.

When faced with these disruptions and the risks they pose for business, how does business respond? Does it choose to support or challenge populists in different countries? This volume advances the debate by providing empirical studies of the impact of right-wing populism on business. Finally, it considers whether populism will continue to be influential and how its success might impact on business strategy and structure.

Magnus Feldmann,Glenn Morgan

Magnus Feldmann is currently a Senior Lecturer in Politics in the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies at the University of Bristol. He has previously been a Research and Teaching Fellow at Harvard University and held visiting fellowships at Uppsala University and the Estonian Business School. He is a member of the editorial board of the journal Post-Communist Economies. His research focuses on political economy, business and politics, public policy and post-communist politics. His articles have appeared in a range of journals, including World Politics, Politics and Society, Comparative Political Studies and New Political Economy as well as various edited volumes.


Glenn Morgan is currently an Honorary Professor in the School of Management, University of Bristol. He has previously been Professor of Management at the School of Management, University of Bristol, Professor of International Management at Cardiff Business School and Professor of Organization Studies at Warwick Business School. He has been a visiting Professor at a number of institutions, including Copenhagen Business School where he was `Velux Visiting Professor 2014. He was President of the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics in 2014-15 and Editor of the journal Organization from 2003-2008.

Introduction
1. Business and Populism: The Political Economy of the 'Odd Couple'
Country Studies
2. The Trump Phenomenon and Right Wing Extremism: Is Donald Trump a Populist?
3. Threats and Opportunities: the Populist Challenge to Business Elites in Trump's Administration
4. Brexit, Populism and Business: The Business Elite loses Control
5. Business Responses to Populism in Denmark
6. Italy: Populism and Business in a Stagnant Economy
7. Rent Seeking Business Elites and Populism in Poland and Hungary
8. Business Factions, Populists and the Social Blocs Perspective
9. India: Populism, Personalism and Economic Governance
10. Technocracy and Populism in the Philippines
11. Populist' Order and Progress': Authoritarianism and Economic Liberalism in Brazil
Thematic Analyses
12. Right-Wing Populism Versus Climate Capitalism: Climate Change Governance Under Scrutiny
13. Business Associations and Right-Wing Populism
14. Populists in Power - The Impact on Interest Representation and Firm Level Non-Market Strategy
15. Populism and Trade
16. The Populism of Transnational Plutocrats
Conclusion
17. Populism, Risk and Business: Present and Future Prospects