The Age of Discontent

"Economic crises since 2008 led to the rise of populist, extremist, Far Right, and conspiracy-focused movements. Emotions borne of economic crises produces cultural discontent (i.e. enflames conflicts over values and identities), an approach we call Affective Political Economy. The book studies these dynamics in Europe and the Americas"--

1. Introduction; 2. Left behind vs. backlash: economic and cultural theories of democratic discontent; 3. Affective political economy: the economic origins of democratic discontent; 4. Affective political economy and political discontent: an experimental analysis; 5. Frozen parties, failing markets: discontent in the United States and United Kingdom; 6. Austerity, regionalism and dueling populisms in Spain; 7. Corruption, populism and contentious politics in Brazil and Chile; 8. The dogs that did not bark: how Canada, Portugal and Uruguay avoided discontent; 9. Populism in power: polarization, charismatic attachment and conspiracy theories in Trump's America; 10. Conclusions: is neoliberal democracy sustainable?