Déjà vu? Polarization and Endangered Democracies in the 21st Century
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4932151 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Murat Somer (0000-0003-1053-3751, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey, corresponding author), Jennifer Mccoy (0000-0001-5844-2504, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 3-15 |
| Publication date | 2018-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Behavioral Scientist (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-7642 • E-ISSN: 1552-3381 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0002764218760371 |
| OpenAlex | W2794379458 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 61 |
| References cited | 30 |
As political and societal polarization deepens, democracies are under stress around the world. This article examines the complex relationship and causal direction between democracy and polarization and posits three theoretical possibilities: (1) polarization contributes to democratic backsliding and decay, (2) polarization results from democratic crisis, and (3) polarization contributes to democratic deepening. We argue "politics" is central to polarization and identify as a key feature of the process of polarization the manner in which it simplifies the normal complexity of politics and social relations. Polarization does so by aligning otherwise unrelated divisions, emasculating cross-cutting cleavages, and dividing society and politics into two separate, opposing, and unyielding blocks. As such, it often has pernicious consequences for democracy, emerging as an intended or unintended consequence of political interest-based and purposeful political mobilization. Polarization over the very concept of democracy may also be the product of democratic crisis. Finally, in certain circumstances, polarization may strengthen democratic institutions and citizen choice. The article then introduces the articles in this issue that address these three theoretical and empirical possibilities
Democracy · Development economics · Economic system · Economics · Polarization (electrochemistry) · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Chemistry · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Populism, Right-Wing Movements
Overcoming Polarization
Polarization versus Democracy
Explaining Indonesia’s Democratic Regression
Varieties of dissensus over liberal democracy in the EU. National and transnational actors
Deliberation, Polarization, and Emotion
Education for deliberative democracy through the long-term view
Escaping social media
Security vs. civil liberties
Between a liberal and a hard place
The Discursive Dimensions of Pernicious Polarization. Analysis of Right-Wing Populists in Western Europe on Twitter
Revisiting Political Polarisation in Indonesia
Polarizing transition? Opposition strategies and the rise of Péter Magyar and the respect and freedom party (Tisza) in Hungary
Mobilizing for what? Polarized citizens and electoral turnout in transitioning Tunisia
Dancing Around the Issue? Public Opinion and Strategic Vagueness in Parliamentary Speech
Why Populism is the Sugar, Salt, and Fat of Our Politics. . . with Variations
Frozen discourse
The political communication of polarizing leaders. Evidence from Italy
Patriarchal (Dis)orders
Beyond elite consensus
People underestimate how receptive other people are to different political opinions
"King Bibi" and Israeli Illiberalism
To polarize or not to polarize? Unveiling 2024 European election communication strategies
Beyond the political principle
From Prejudice to Polarization and Rejection of Democracy
Populist polarization in postcolonial Philippines
From critical to hypocritical
Navigating pandemic waves
Populist radical right beyond Europe
Opponents, not enemies
Party Systems, Democratic Positions, and Regime Changes
Tweeting Beyond Tahrir
Curb EU enthusiasm
Defeating Populists
Political Polarisation on Social Media
Affective Polarisation in Times of Political Instability and Conflict. Spain from a Comparative Perspective
Economic Hardship Increases Justification of Political Violence
Mapping Contentious Collective Emotions in a Populist Democracy
Asymmetry in political polarization at multiple levels of bias
Populist attitudes and conspiratorial thinking
How Far Can Populist Governments Go? The Impact of the Populist Government on the Hungarian Parliament
Gender Wars? Diplomacy as a Depolarizing Practice in International Politics of Gender and Sexuality
A new regime divide? Democratic backsliding, attitudes towards democracy and affective polarization
Elite capture, civil society and democratic backsliding in Bangladesh, Thailand and the Philippines
Authoritarian innovations and democratic reform in the “New Malaysia
Intentional polarization
Institutional design and polarization. Do consensus democracies fare better in fighting polarization than majoritarian democracies
Civil society, public support, and democratic recession in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines
A Closer Look at the Limits of Consociationalism
Populism, Nationalism, and Civilizationism
When elites polarize over polarization
When elites polarize over polarization
The University Under Threat
Polarization, Participatory Democracy, and Democratic Erosion in Venezuela's Twenty-First Century Socialism
Turkey
Transformations through Polarizations and Global Threats to Democracy
Toward a Theory of Pernicious Polarization and How It Harms Democracies
Social trust and affective polarization in Spain (2014-19)
Climate change and right-wing populism in the United States
Insights From The 2022 South Korean Presidential Election
Introduction
Polarization Perception and Support for Democracy
Democracies in Danger
Authoritarianism in an Age of Democratization
Populist Radical Right Parties in Europe
The Global Rise of Populism
The Politics of Authoritarian Rule
The Origins of Dominant Parties
Contention and democracy in Europe, 1650-2000
Why Dominant Parties Lose
From Protest to Parties
Competitive Authoritarianism
Moderate Islam and secularist opposition in Turkey
Cascades of Ethnic Polarization
Defending Democracy
It’s Personal
What Is Populism
Democratic Careening
On Democratic Backsliding
Elections Without Democracy
The Democratic Disconnect
Years After The USSR
Conquering versus democratizing the state
Malaysia – towards a topology of an electoral one-party state
Facing Up to the Democratic Recession
Polarization and the Global Crisis of Democracy
Paradoxes of Polarization
Polarizing Figures
Can Polarization Be Positive? Conflict and Institutional Development in Africa
The Logic of Polarizing Populism
| Unique citing works | 61 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 7,63 |
| Citation span | 2018 - 2026 (9) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 58 |