Scientific Discourse of Populism: Aspects of Economy and Tax Policy

Abstract

Introduction. Insufficient level of the economic growth perceiving amongst population of even economically developed countries, growth of inequality of incomes and welfare caused the opening for the opportunities for exploitation of controversial narratives by non-systematic politicians of different spectra in order to obtain electoral dividends, that stipulates the initiation of scientific discourse on the sources, reasons and consequences of populism. Problem Statement. A populist impact in many of European and world countries as well as considerable challenges for economic and political sustainability stipulate the necessity for scientific cognition of that essence for further elaboration of receipts for minimization of negative and implementation of possible positive outcomes. Purpose. To generalize, to structure and to systematize the studies of the political and economic foundations of populism and its manifestations in the context of the formation and implementation of economic and fiscal (tax) policy. Materials and Methods. A methodological consensus as general method introduced on defining populism as ideology, policy and social movement grounded on coordination on the structural elements contained in the definitions of different research schools is implemented; a comparative analyses of Western European and Ukrainian populism; a factsheet and statistical analyses for substantiation of evidence-based tax populism in Ukraine. Results. The article reviews the publications of researchers on the problem of populism - its definition, analysis of social and economic foundations, as well as the impact on the fiscal and tax policies elaboration. On the basis of generalization of broad international research approached framework regarding the analysis of populist tax policy, the definition of tax populism is proposed. The reasons for the prevailing influence of right populism on the current tax policy in Ukraine. Introduced concept of elaboration of sustainable system of institutional and organizational-analytical measures grounded on the modernization of institutes of general public interest in the field of development and strengthening of political process coordination and economic policy. Conclusions. Generalized scientific, informational, analytical and statistical data about the objective essence of economic and tax populism growing tendencies in the world as well as danger of right-wing tax populism in the Ukraine.