In a recent analysis of whether a superior constitutional design could play an effective role in stopping the spread of populism, Professor Sujit Choudhry outlined the fundamental nature of populist movements and why they are viewed with such trepidation by governance scholars around the world.
Essentially, a populist movement gathers a groundswell of support from the general sentiment that a country's political institutions are no longer serving the will of the people. It is not based on rigid political parties or unifying ideologies.
Populism is grounded in an emotional response to the more frustrating aspects of government in not being able to fix real problems that citizens confront on a daily basis.