The Disappearing Center

Engaged Citizens, Polarization, and American Democracy

Bibliographic Data

ID23256339
AuthorsAlan I Abramowitz (0000-0003-1649-3471, corresponding author)
Year2017
Pages224
Publication date2017-12-31
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
Reviewed byThe Disappearing Center: Engaged Citizens, Polarization, and American Democracy, Hyojeong Han, 2011
VenueDisappearing Center (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherYale University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.12987/9780300162882
OpenAlexW3209084201
Open LibraryOL29143122M
ISBN9780300162882
LanguageEN
Citations received197

Renowned political scientist Alan I. Abramowitz presents a groundbreaking argument that the most important divide in American politics is not between left and right but rather between citizens who are politically engaged and those who are not. It is the engaged members of the public, he argues, who most closely reflect the ideals of democratic citizenship—but this is also the group that is most polarized. Polarization at the highest levels of government, therefore, is not a sign of elites’ disconnection from the public but rather of their responsiveness to the more politically engaged parts of it. Though polarization is often assumed to be detrimental to democracy, Abramowitz concludes that by presenting voters with clear choices, polarization can serve to increase the public’s interest and participation in politics and strengthen electoral accountability.

Center (category theory) · Chemistry · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Political Science Research and Education · Populism, Right-Wing Movements

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