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Capital, networks and ideas

How philanthropy sustains right-wing populism in Canada

Bibliographic Data

ID19219600
AuthorsPaul Sylvestre (0000-0002-1991-035X, University of Ottawa), Fahad Ahmad (0000-0001-9326-6534, Toronto Metropolitan University), Adam Saifer (0000-0002-2467-2026, University of British Columbia)
Year2026
Pages1-28
Publication date2026-05-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEconomy and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0308-5147 • E-ISSN: 1469-5766
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03085147.2026.2650064
OpenAlexW7162578736
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited38

The compounding economic and ecological crises of neoliberal capitalism have been met in recent years by a growing global tide of right-wing populism. This paper examines the overlooked role of philanthropic foundations in sustaining right-wing populist ecosystems. Focusing on the Canadian context, we use social network analysis to map financial flows and leadership connections between philanthropic foundations and right-wing charities. Our study reveals six distinct communities that materially and ideologically co-constitute the ecosystem of right-wing populism in Canada. While the existing literature highlights philanthropy’s role in legitimizing neoliberalism, our findings show philanthropy’s malleability in sustaining capital accumulation in a post-neoliberal moment – specifically, through promulgating nativist, anti-immigrant, anti-gender, pro-extractivist, and other right-leaning politics in response to legitimate economic and ecological anxieties

Government (linguistics) · Neoliberalism (international relations) · Politics · Populism · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Elite Sociology and Global Capitalism · Populism, Right-Wing Movements

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Unique citing works1
Citations per year1
Citation span2026 - 2026 (1)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 1

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