Inequality, identity, and partisanship: How redistribution can stem the tide of mass polarization.

ABSTRACT: The form of political polarization where citizens develop strongly negative attitudes toward out-party members and policies has become increasingly prominent across many democracies. Economic hardship and social inequality, as well as intergroup and racial conflict, have been identified as important contributing factors to this phenomenon known as "affective polarization." Research shows that partisan animosities are exacerbated when these interests and identities become aligned with existing party cleavages. In this paper, we use a model of cultural evolution to study how these forces combine to generate and maintain affective political polarization. We show that economic events can drive both affective polarization and the sorting of group identities along party lines, which, in turn, ca

SUBMITTER: Stewart AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8685720 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature