%0 Journal Article %A Hyein Ko %D 2018 %J International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences %B World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology %I Open Science Index 133, 2018 %T Populism and the Democratic Crisis: Comparative Study of Four Countries %U https://publications.waset.org/pdf/10008510 %V 133 %X In 2017, many signs of populism occurred around the world. This paper suggests that populism is not a sudden phenomenon, but a manifestation of common people’s will. By analyzing previous research, this paper proposes three factors related to populism: Inequality, experience of economic crisis, and rapid cultural change. With these three elements, four cases will be investigated in this article; two countries experienced populism, and the other two countries did not experience it. Comparing four cases by using three elements will give a fruitful foundation for further analysis regarding populism. In sum, aforementioned three elements are highly related to the occurrence of populism. However, there is one hidden factor: dissatisfaction with established politics. Thus, populism is not a temporal phenomenon. It is a red alert for democratic crisis. %P 160 - 164