Democracy Erodes from the Top: Leaders, Citizens, and the Challenge of Populism in Europe - Paperbackby Larry M. Bartels (Author) Why leaders, not citizens, are the driving force in Europe's crisis of democracy An apparent explosion of support for right wing populist parties has triggered widespread fears that liberal democracy is facing its worst crisis since the 1930s. Democracy Erodes from the Top reveals that the real crisis stems not from an increasingly populist public but from political leaders who exploit or mismanage the chronic