Unity in diversity? Polarization, issue diversity and satisfaction with democracy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6289876 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Julian M Hoerner (0000-0003-2102-5613, London School of Economics and Political Science), Sara B Hobolt (0000-0002-9742-9502, London School of Economics and Political Science, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Pages | 1838-1857 |
| Publication date | 2020-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of European Public Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1350-1763 • E-ISSN: 1466-4429 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13501763.2019.1699592 |
| OpenAlex | W2972402803 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 27 |
| References cited | 52 |
How do the range of issues voters care about and party system polarization impact democratic outcomes? Recent debates have focused on the negative effect of polarized systems on democratic quality. However, the extent to which this polarization is channeled or diffused over a wide range of issues on the public agenda has not been analyzed systematically. Using data from 31 European countries from 2003 to 2018, we show that party polarization indeed has a negative effect on people's satisfaction with democracy. Importantly, however, we demonstrate that at high levels of issue diversity, the negative effect of polarization is minimized. Drawing on the deliberative democracy literature, we argue that at low levels of issue diversity, polarization makes compromise in society less likely and the political discourse more antagonistic. However, at higher levels of issue diversity, contestation and conflict can be diffused over a large range of issues, providing more favorable conditions for collective will formation and, ultimately, higher levels of satisfaction with democracy
Compromise · Democracy · Diversity (politics · Polarization (electrochemistry · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Social Media and Politics
Political leadership, preference disclosure, and regulatory behavior
Affect or Emotions? Disaggregating Affective Polarisation to Explain Support for Liberal Democracy in Belgium and the United Kingdom
How the effects of emphasizing ethics are examined
Satisfaction with Democracy
The System Works Fine
From ideological congruence to satisfaction with democracy
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The divided public
The Political-Economic Correlates of Discursive Engagement in Europe
Liberal democratic values among immigrants in Europe
The impact of unelected representatives on citizens’ satisfaction with democracy
Polarization, and party politics in post-revolutionary and post-war Armenia
Beyond polarization and priming
Conflict or choice? The differential effects of elite incivility and ideological polarization on political support
Democratic Performance, Secular–Traditional Value Orientation, and Satisfaction with Democracy in India and Pakistan
Party contestation and news visibility abroad
Does party polarization mobilize or de-mobilize voters? The answer depends on where voters stand
Ein unruhiges Land
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Kulturkampf to Partykampf? Democratic backsliding and democratic satisfaction in Turkey
Worlds Apart? Public Agenda Fragmentation in Sweden 1987–2021
Partisanship Versus Democracy
Elections Increase Satisfaction With Democracy
Satisfaction with Democracy
Downright dangerous
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Social Media and Political Polarization
Euroscepticism and the Future of European Integration
Social Media, Political Polarization, and Political Disinformation
Cross‐National Analyses of Satisfaction with Democracy and Ideological Congruence
The Oxford Handbook of Deliberative Democracy
Voter Turnout and the Dynamics of Electoral Competition in Established Democracies since 1945
Freedom to Choose and Democracy
Agenda Formation
The Place of Self‐Interest and the Role of Power in Deliberative Democracy
More than Mimicry? The Role of Anger in Uncivil Reactions to Elite Political Incivility
The more (complex), the better? The influence of epistemic motivation on integrative bargaining in complex negotiation
An Economic Theory of Political Action in a Democracy
The limited impact of Europe on national party systems
The Growing Importance of Issue Competition
Citizen Satisfaction with Democracy in the European Union
Satisfaction with democracy
How deliberation makes better citizens
Explaining cross‐national variation in the relationship between priority congruence and satisfaction with democracy
Turning against the Union? The impact of the crisis on the Eurosceptic vote in the 2014 European Parliament elections
Are Niche Parties Fundamentally Different from Mainstream Parties? The Causes and the Electoral Consequences of Western European Parties' Policy Shifts, 1976–1998
The Fragmenting Public Agenda
Polarization in the American Public
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Capacity, Diversity, and Volatility of the Public Agenda
Winning, Losing and Satisfaction with Democracy
The Declining Representativeness of the British Party System, and Why it Matters
On Strong Attitudes and Group Deliberation
The Importance of Attention Diversity and How to Measure It
The emotional dynamics of deliberative democracy
Competing on the issues
When the kingmaker stays home
The Perils of Presidentialism
Working through the issues
Not all election winners are equal
Multidimensional government-citizen congruence and satisfaction with democracy
Effects of the Core Functions of Government on the Diversity of Executive Agendas
When in Doubt, Use Proxies
Issue Entrepreneurship and Multiparty Competition
The Quantity and the Quality of Party Systems
Citizen Satisfaction With Democracy and Parties’ Policy Offerings
Fear and Loathing across Party Lines
The Democracy Deficit and Mass Support for an EU-Wide Government
Considered Opinions
A Re-assessment of the Concept of Political Support
I Disrespectfully Agree
Many Clicks but Little Sticks
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Some Social Requisites of Democracy
Dynamic Representation
Political Institutions and Satisfaction with Democracy
A Problem-Based Approach to Democratic Theory
| Unique citing works | 27 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 5,4 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 27 |