Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science

From among the five contributions in this issue, three articles comprise a special section on 'Populisms, Hybrid Regimes and Political Change'. They represent memoirs from the first edition of the Leonardo Morlino Lecture Series that was organised in Mexico in November 2019. They are followed by a study of the prospects and pitfalls of a South African developmental state in regional comparative perspective, and by a book review on the perils of corruption and state capture in South Africa. Hence, the issue brings together Latin American and South African perspectives in particular.

Editorial Note

Original Articles

Polarisation, Radicalisation, and Populism: Definitions and Hypotheses

Juan Russo

Populisms: Inherently Illiberal or Plausibly Democratic? Hybrid Regimes May Offer a Complementary Approach

Jaime A. Preciado Coronado

Quality of Democracy and Game Theory: Explaining the Consolidation of the Mexican Hybrid Regime

Rafael Plancarte Escobar

COVID-19 and the Making of a South African Democratic Developmental State: Prospects and Pitfalls Amid a Pandemic

Marcel Nagar

Book Review

A Review of “How to Steal a Country: State Capture and Hopes for the Future in South Africa”

Nkosingiphile Mkhize