Polarization In Political Science

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Almost all discussions of polarization in political science consider it in the context of political parties and the democratic system of the government. When polarization occurs in a two-party system, moderate voices often lose power and influence. Political polarization confers to cases in which an individual's position on a given issue, policy, or person is more likely to be defined by their identification with a particular political party, such as a Democrat or Republican. Polarization as a state refers to the extent to which opinions on an issue are opposed in relation to some theoretical maximum. As a process, it refers to the increase in opposition over time. Some political scientists argue that polarization requires deviation on a broad range of issues based on a consistent set of beliefs while others argue it occurs when there are blunt opinionated or ideological divides. Political scientists distinguish between two types of political polarization, popular polarization and elite polarization. Popular polarization is when polarization occurs in the electorate and general public and elite polarization occurs in political elites, such as party organizers and elected officials. Both opinions and policy positions are characterized by strict faithfulness to party lines. Popular polarization and elite polarization can occur at the same time or independently. The central issue in the study of political polarization is investigating the relationship between the two. Political scientists have identified a variety of causes of political polarization, including political parties, public political ideology, and the media. Scholars argue that diverging parties have been one of the driving forces of polarization as policy platforms have ... ... middle of paper ... ...make appointees as safe as possible and grab as many seats as it can, ending up with elected officials that represent a consistent electorate, which results in more extreme candidates and fewer moderates. Redistricting plans have been so politically, that most have resulted in lawsuits. States need to move towards non or bipartisan redistricting commissions, like in Iowa or Arizona. Another proposal is that there should be an active review of institutional performance. This proposal comes from the military, which constantly monitors the performance of its institutions and units. The government should adopt a similar approach towards its institutions and programs, evaluating them against standards, then working on fixing them. Our current system emphasizes denial of problems for political purposes, then bursts of argument and finger pointing when anything goes wrong.

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