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Tag Archives: polarization
Republicans Moving to the Right More than Democrats Moving to the Left
A summary of a paper presented at the Midwest Political Science Association’s annual conference: “Party Fit Theory: A Candidate-Level Explanation for Partisan Polarization in Congress” by Danielle Thomsen “Some recent research has demonstrated that while our congressional parties have been … Continue reading
Posted in Elections, Government
Tagged Democrats, elections, government, ideology, polarization, politics, primaries, Republicans
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Wise Observation Why a Sequester Deal was Impossible
Jonathan Chait, in an article examining the lack of effective communication among Republicans and Democrats, quotes Upton Sinclair’s famous line, “It is impossible to make a man understand something if his livelihood depends on not understanding it.” His observation captures … Continue reading
Summarizing 2012 in Charts
Steven Rattner provides a good summary of 2012 in charts. “In 2012, the slow recovery dominated both the economic news and the worries of most Americans, but the underlying components of the weak job market were not always fully dissected. In … Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Elections, Government, Health, Income Distribution, Socio-economic Status, Taxes
Tagged Congress, debt ratios, deficits, elections, healthcare, income, income distribution, jobs, polarization, Social Security, top 1%
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Polarization Explained: Facts Align with Previously Held Moral Convictions
A new study demonstrates what facts we choose to believe are strongly influenced by previously held moral convictions. In short, our perceptions of reality align with our moral convictions, making a clean separation of opinion and fact difficult to achieve. … Continue reading
Posted in Science
Tagged compromise, facts, moral convictions, moral reasoning, polarization, politics, reality, sociology of knowledge
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Inequality, Economic Segregation and Polarization Go Hand in Hand
There’s little doubt that America is polarized on a number of issues (i.e., taxes, abortion, big government/small government, politics). There are probably many reasons for this polarization but I believe one factor that isn’t generally recognized is the increased polarization … Continue reading
The Dangers of Political Extremism: Lessons from 1919 to 1939 and George Santayana
Is it possible that economic hard times will feed political extremism, as it did in the 1930s? That is the question addressed by Broomhead et al. (2012). The authors examined elections between WWI and WWII, focusing on political parties that … Continue reading
As Inequality Increases Democrats and Republicans are Growing Farther Apart
Two trends across America are tracking each other: Increased economic inequality, widening the gap between the haves and the have-not, and Increased political polarization, widening the gap between Republicans and Democrats. Does this mean our political system has moved to … Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Elections, Income Distribution, Inequality
Tagged Congress, elections, government, gridlock, inequality, polarization, political parties, politics, states, voting patterns
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Galbraith: Inequality is an Engine of Instability and Collapse
James K. Galbraith, professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, has written a great book, Inequality and Instability: A Study of the World Economy Just Before the Great Crisis, a must and … Continue reading
Ideological Polarization and Income Inequality Track Each Other
Ideological polarization characterizes America’s political process and governance. The major political parties are divided on nearly all of the major issues facing our society. Research by Keith Poole (2008) suggests that America’s political polarization must be understood in the context … Continue reading
Why Increasing Inequality and Lower Economic Mobility Matter
Why Increasing Inequality and Lower Economic Mobility Matter: An Issue of National Importance In several articles: Rich Father, Rich Son and Poor Father, Poor Son American Dream is Alive and Well — in Canada American Childrens’ Prospects for Success are … Continue reading