The emergence and perils of polarization

Delia Baldassarri and Scott E. Page
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Delia Baldassarri: a Sociology Department, New York University, New York, NY 10003;; b Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics, Bocconi University, 20100 Milan, Italy;
Scott E. Page: c Department of Management and Organizations, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109;; d Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2021, vol. 118, issue 50, e2116863118

Abstract: We provide commentaries on the papers included in the Dynamics of Political Polarization Special Feature. Baldassarri reads the contribution of the papers in light of the theoretical distinction between ideological partisanship, which is generally rooted in sociodemographic and political cleavages, and affective partisanship, which is, instead, mostly fueled by emotional attachment and repulsion, rather than ideology and material interests. The latter, she argues, is likely to lead to a runaway process and threaten the pluralistic bases of contemporary democracy. Page sees the contribution of the many distinct models in the ensemble as potentially contributing more than the parts. Individual papers identify distinct causes of polarization as well as potential solutions. Viewed collectively, the papers suggest that the multiple causes of polarization may self-reinforce, which suggests that successful interventions would require a variety of efforts. Understanding how to construct such interventions may require larger models with greater realism.

Keywords: political polarization; complex systems; affective polarization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nas:journl:v:118:y:2021:p:e2116863118

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