Conspiracism as a form of Scapegoating
"The current wave of conspiracism has two main historic sources, irrational fears of a freemason conspiracy and irrational fears of a Jewish conspiracy. There are many purveyors of the conspiracist worldview and the belief structure is surprisingly widespread. Conspiracist ideas are promoted by several right-wing institutions, the John Birch Society, the Liberty Lobby, and the Lyndon LaRouche networks. These groups are examples of right-wing populism in which conspiracist narratives such as producerism are common. In Western culture, conspiracist scapegoating is rooted in apocalyptic fears and millennial expectations. Sometimes conspiracism is secularized and adopted by portions of the political left. It is interesting to note that on both the left and the right (as well as the center) there are critics of the apocalyptic style and flawed methodology of conspiracism. 
In highlighting conspiracist allegation as a form of scapegoating, it is important to remember the following: 

*	All conspiracist theories start with a grain of truth, which is then transmogrified with hyperbole and filtered through pre-existing myth and prejudice,
*	People who believe conspiracist allegations sometimes act on those irrational beliefs, which has concrete consequences in the real world,
*	Conspiracist thinking and scapegoating are symptoms, not causes, of underlying societal frictions, and as such are perilous to ignore,
*	Scapegoating and conspiracist allegations are tools that can be used by cynical leaders to mobilize a mass following,
*	Supremacist and fascist organizers use conspiracist theories as a relatively less-threatening entry point in making contact with potential recruits,
*	Even when conspiracist theories do not center on Jews, people of color, or other scapegoated groups, they create an environment where racism, anti-Semitism, and other forms of prejudice and oppression can flourish."
http://www.publiceye.org/b_conspi.html

Conspiracism and "Secret Elites" 
"Just like in other forms of scapegoating, conspiracists sometimes target people who in fact have significant power and culpability in a given conflict--Wall Street power brokers, corporate magnates, banking industry executives, politicians, government officials--but conspiracists portray these forces in caricature that obscures a rational assessment of their wrongdoing. It is not individual people who have the actual power, but the roles they occupy in social, political, and economic institutions. There are undeniably powerful individuals, but when they die, their power does not evaporate, it redistributes itself to other individuals in similar roles, and to individuals that scramble to inherit the role just vacated. 
No single power bloc, company, family, or individual in a complex modern society wields absolute control, even though there are always systems of control. Wall Street stock brokers are not outsiders deforming an otherwise happy system. As Holly Sklar argues, "the government is manipulated by various elites, often behind the scenes, but these elites are not a tiny secret cabal with omniscience and omnipotence."22 There is no secret team...the elites that exist are anything but secret. The government and the economy are not alien forces superimposed over an otherwise equitable and freedom loving society. 
As Matthew N. Lyons points out, "Scapegoating is not only about who is targeted, but also about who is not targeted, and what systems and structures are not being challenged by focusing on the scapegoat.""
http://www.publiceye.org/tooclose/conspiracism-05.htm

Conspiracism as Parody of Institutional Analysis
"Conspiracism blames individualized and subjective forces for economic and social problems rather than analyzing conflict in terms of systems and structures of power. Conspiracist allegations, therefore, interfere with a serious progressive analysis--an analysis that challenges the objective institutionalized systems of oppression and power, and seeks a radical transformation of the status quo.


The subjectivist view of conspiracist critics of the status quo is a parody of serious research. As Lyons observes, "To claim, for instance, that the Rockefellers control the world, takes multiple interconnections and complex influences and reduces them to mechanical wire pulling."33 As one report critical of right-wing populist conspiracism suggested: 

"There is a vast gulf between the simplistic yet dangerous rhetoric of elite cabals, Jewish conspiracies and the omnipotence of "international finance" and a thoughtful analysis of the deep divisions and inequities in our society."34 
Separating real conspiracies from the exaggerated, non-rational, fictional, lunatic, or deliberately fabricated variety is a problem faced by serious researchers, and journalists. For progressive activists, differentiating between the progressive power structure research and the pseudo-radical allegations of conspiracism is a prerequisite for rebuilding a left analysis of social and political problems. "
http://www.publiceye.org/tooclose/conspiracism-06.htm


Virtual Guided Tour of Regressive Populist Anti-Globalism - Mark Rupert - Syracuse University
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/maxpages/faculty/merupert/Research/far-right/far_right.htm