Madison's Constitution Under Stress: A Developmental Analysis of Political Polarization

Posted: 17 May 2020

See all articles by Paul Pierson

Paul Pierson

University of California, Berkeley

Eric Schickler

University of California, Berkeley

Date Written: May 2020

Abstract

We present a “developmental” approach to understanding why rising polarization in the United States has not been self-correcting but instead continues to intensify. Under specified conditions, initial increases in polarization may change the meso-environment, including such features as state parties, the structure of media, and the configuration of interest groups. These shifts can in turn influence other aspects of politics, leading to a further intensification of polarization. This analysis has four important benefits: (a) It directs our attention to the meso-institutional environment of the American polity; (b) it clarifies the features of the polity that have traditionally limited the extent and duration of polarization, and the reasons why their contemporary impact may be attenuated; (c) it helps us analyze asymmetrical, or party-specific, aspects of polarization; and (d) it provides an analytic foundation that connects discussions of American politics to the comparative politics literature on democratic backsliding.

Suggested Citation

Pierson, Paul and Schickler, Eric, Madison's Constitution Under Stress: A Developmental Analysis of Political Polarization (May 2020). Annual Review of Political Science, Vol. 23, pp. 37-58, 2020, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3602491 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-050718-033629

Paul Pierson (Contact Author)

University of California, Berkeley ( email )

310 Barrows Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720
United States

Eric Schickler

University of California, Berkeley ( email )

310 Barrows Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720
United States

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