Maltese exceptionalism in the populist trend
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26481/marble.2019.v1.752Keywords:
exceptionalism, populism, pathological normalcyAbstract
Malta, as the smallest state of the European Union (EU), has often been neglected when it comes to examining the surge of populism all over the Union. This is due to the fact, that Malta is believed to not have a problem with populism. Nevertheless, some populist parties exist, which are however unable to gain ground during elections and are not expected to enter the national parliament or government any time soon. This study examines why, so far, Malta was able to escape the populist trend and thus, represent an exceptional phenomenon. In order to do so, various factors are taken into account ranging from economy and culture to politics and geology. Populism in this research is examined as arising from severe conditions or i.e. a crisis, to take into account a widely-accepted scholarly argument. The main argument of the study holds that despite experiencing several crises, which could have led to populism, the country was able to withstand populism due to several factors.
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