Polarization is a fundamental and pervasive element of modern politics. The extent to which Democratic and Republican voters agree with one another on policy issues is at its lowest level in more than a century, and elected officials are less keen than ever to “work across the aisle” to find bipartisan solutions to societal problems. In this week’s readings, Barber & McCarty examine the numerous causes of political polarization, and argue that not all possible causes are actual causes. Both Barber & McCarty and Lee examine the effect polarization has on the way policy is made and the government operates. In different ways, Sinclair and Mann & Ornstein trace the historical development of polarization over the past 30 years, arguing that one party is more responsible for it than the other. (This is consistent with more systematic analyses of the question of how the parties polarized, and is known among political scientists as “asymmetric polarization).

Questions to consider:

• What does it mean when we say the politics is “polarized”
• What role do voters and political elites play in polarization?
• What effect has polarization had on Congress, the presidency, and other institutions of government?

Readings

Michael Barber and Nolan McCarty. 2015. “The Causes and Consequences of Polarization.” In Political Negotiation: A Handbook.” Jane Mansbridge and Cathie Jo Martin eds.

Frances Lee. 2015 “How Polarization Affects Governance.” Annual Review of Political Science. 18: 261-282

Barbara Sinclair. 2006. Party Wars. Chapters 1-2

Thomas Mann & Norman Ornstein. 2016. It’s Even Worse Than it Was. Chapter 2