Abstract
The present issue of the Czech Journal of Political Science consists of the papers that were presented at the First International Prague Populism Conference, organized in May 2015 by the Institute of International Studies at Charles University in Prague and the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Prag. The intention of the conference was to analyse and examine the growth of contemporary European populism which represents one of the most topical problems that liberal democratic regimes are facing today.
To understand the nature of populism, researchers from all around Europe discussed the faces and the causes of this phenomenon during the period from the outbreak of the economic crisis to the present (55 researchers from 20 countries presented their research and findings). The recent electoral boom of populist political parties and the scholarly interest that followed soon has turned populism into one the most developed topics of contemporary comparative political research.
Hundreds of studies has been devoted to conceptualization of populism that has been seen as an ideology. Despite the rapid growth of the research interest in populism, there are still "white spots" allowing for the continuation of the study of populism.
The special issue of the Czech Journal of Political Science seeks to contribute to the seemingly complex and complete study of populism in several ways.