Focusing on a specific type of electoral manipulation, we hypothesize that ceteris paribus, political polarization is strongly associated with higher levels of government intimidation of the opposition. We expect this relationship to be stronger in democracies than in autocracies. Empirically, we create...
A game-changing account of the deep roots of political polarization in America, including an audacious fourteen-point agenda for how to fix it. Why has American politics fallen into such a state of horrible dysfunction? Can it ever be fixed? These are the questions that motivate Michael Tomask...
arative Perspective How Does Political Polarization Distort the Marketplace of Ideas? A Theory from a Comparative PerspectiveHow Does Political Polarization Distort the Marketplace of Ideas? A Theory from a Comparative PerspectiveHsu, Jimmy ChiaShin...
Social media inflames tribalism and makes democracy more difficult and unstable inmany ways. To name just a few: It accelerates the movement of citizens into informational bubbles and then poisons those bubbles with inflammatory stories and videos; it undermines trust in institutions and in fel...
Financial hardship for many, persistent poverty, and a dispirited populace that could be ripe for social and political unrest are just a few of the effects of income inequality. How Can We Fix Income Inequality? To reduce income inequality, governments and private sectors must address its various...
CEOs have become more cautious and strategic about public stances on political issues. Read on to learn how they can navigate a highly polarized world.
There’s an approach to political questions that the conservative in me rebels against. Let’s call it the “You can’t have too much of a good thing” fallacy. Virtually every popular idea in American life has cheerleaders for this fallacy. You’ve surely heard someone say something...
Congress even failed to renew the landmark legislation against human trafficking, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. The obstacles were different in each case, but involved political polarization and paralysis. Can members of Congress not muster a stand on modern slavery? (Hmm. I now understand...
This gap, Bail concludes, is “one of the most powerful sources of political polarization in our era.” Bail’s argument about social media needs to be set within the broader context of how social scientists have used big data to measure and manipulate public opinion. Much has been written ...
Making inaccurate assumptions about what the “other side” believes has been found to result in “false polarization”–basically assuming people are farther away in their views from you than they actually are. The fix? Talking it out–and really listening to what people have to say. ...