= Party Polarization = '''Party polarization''' is a general framework that formulated political polarization in terms of political parties. <> ---- == Description == Party polarization is a very loose framework that simply prescribes studying political polarization in terms of political parties, as opposed to [[PoliticalScience/AffectivePolarization|behavioral theory]]. These theories generally assume that 'partisanship' or 'extremism' is defined by consistent ideological opinions. The counter-example is that a moderate's opinions are either not strongly held or ideologically-inconsistent (suggesting they are informed by something external). There are many closely-related fields in the public choice and political philosophy spaces. * Choice models including: * [[PoliticalScience/MedianVoterTheorem|Median voter theorem]], for why polarization is not expected. * [[PoliticalScience/PivotalPoliticsModel|Pivotal politics model]], for how the appearance of polarization can be achieved without an actual political undercurrent. * Critical theories, e.g. Marxism, have a clear interpretation of both ''polarization'' (i.e., history of conflict) and ''lack of polarization'' (i.e., elites suppressing consciousness). * Polarization is a topic of study in the field of [[PoliticalScience/InstitutionalDesign|institutional design]]. ---- == Reading Notes == * [[IdeologicalRealignmentAndActivePartisansInTheAmericanElectorate|Ideological Realignment and Active Partisans in the American Electorate]], Alan I. Abramowitz and Kyle L. Saunders, 2004 * [[IsPolarizationAMyth|Is Polarization a Myth?]], Alan I. Abramowitz and Kyle L. Saunders, 2008 * [[DoesPolarizationIncreaseParticipation|Does polarization increase participation? A systematic literature review and meta-analysis]], Marta Kołczyńska, 2025 * [[TheUrbanRuralDivideInPolicyPreferencesAcrossTimeAndSpace|The urban-rural divide in policy priorities across time and space]], Tevfik Murat Yildirim and Knut M. Solvig, 2025 * [[TheDirectionAndMeaningOfLeftRightInPostcommunistSocieties|The Direction and Meaning of Left-Right in Postcommunist Societies]], Ruth Dassonneville and Ian Mc``Allister, 2025 ---- CategoryRicottone