Mainstream Parties in Crisis – Overcoming Polarisation
Around the world, democracy is being undermined by elected leaders using polarizing political strategies to divide societies into mutually distrustful camps. The logic of polarization creates incentives for both political leaders and voters to sacrifice democratic principles rather than risk their side losing power, and weakens the capacity of institutions designed to manage political conflict and sustain democracy. Drawing lessons from experiences around the world, Jennifer McCoy and Murat Somer propose strategies to depolarize societies around democracy-building agendas. In their article for the
Journal of Democracy they analyze the challenges of “the day after”, once polarizing incumbents are removed, and how strategic choices to emphasize long-term collective interests over short-term partisan interests can shift the vicious cycle to a virtuous one.
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/778229/pdf
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