Populism and the economy

Abstract

Gramsci’s discussion of populism, like other concepts he elaborated, was built on the creative reconstruction of earlier work by others on the same theme. For populism, this was to mainly concern three sources, namely, the Russian Bolsheviks’ version of national populism; Vincenzo Cuoco’s passive revolution from his Saggio storico sulla rivoluzione napoletana del 1799 (Historical essay on the Neapolitan Revolution of 1799, 1801); and Benedetto Croce’s ethical-political moment (Q10 II, 61, p. 1244). These three are considered central in inspiring the Sardinian’s re-elaboration of populism. In the first part of this article, we follow up on Gramsci’s talent for conceptual reconstruction. His effort was to serve as a model for those who, in turn, found inspiration in his work. This will concern Laclau’s work, consisting of references that engage with Gramsci. In the second part, to appreciate how, in comparison, Gramsci’s and Laclau’s conceptual reconstruction of populism assist, or not, to meaningfully comprehend, they will be related to processes of social reproduction during the development of an industrial manufacturing for exports regime in Malta and the Italian North-east (henceforth NE) at the turn of the 21st century.