Introduction
Contemporary populism is not a cultural anomaly, but rather the political consequence of systemic insecurity. Lorenza Antonucci argues that the crisis of democracy stems from the collapse of social security. Readers will explore the mechanisms by which the workfare state replaces protection with discipline, fueling radicalization. This article explains why GDP fails to measure real social pain and how the struggle for decent work defines the future of Europe.
Insecurity as fuel for populism
Populism grows out of employment and financial insecurity, not a "revolt of the losers." Traditional indicators like GDP ignore the turmoil in workplaces, where a stable job often lacks autonomy and recognition. It is work insecurity, not cultural regression, that creates fertile ground for radicalism. When the state stops providing protection, citizens look for scapegoats among groups positioned next to or below them, a phenomenon we call horizontal populism.
Workfare and the politics of deservingness
The transition to a workfare state model signifies the privatization of risk. The state no longer protects the citizen but subjects them to a deservingness test, making support contingent upon productivity. Mainstream politics, by promoting activation instead of security, creates a vacuum. The right fills it effectively by offering welfare chauvinism—protection limited to "our own." The left loses because it demands a more intellectually challenging move from voters: identifying elites as the source of problems, rather than an easy attack on the "unproductive."
The architecture of anger and the future of Europe
Right-wing populism wins because it channels anxiety in an understandable way without questioning meritocracy. To regain its mandate, the left must stop treating a living wage as charity and start viewing it as a foundational institutional requirement. The dispute over the protection of platform workers and debt regulation is the new front line. Without reclaiming public control over risk, the European social order will remain fragile, and democracy will merely manage anger instead of extinguishing it.
Summary
Democracy is losing to a lack of courage to define material security as a non-negotiable good. If we do not stop treating citizens as resources in the service of the market, populism will continue to take its toll. Are we ready to return to a state that guarantees stability as a right, rather than a reward for market utility? The answer to this question will determine the durability of the European project.
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