Political polarization expressed through the spatial model of political competition explains the rejection of the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe by French voters. The increasing polarization of the distribution of voters during the last 30 years made the outcome of the 29 May 2005 referendum a predictable event. Figures, References. [Copyright 2005 Elsevier B.V.]
We argue that social polarization reduces the security of property & contract rights &, through this channel, reduces growth. The first hypothesis is supported by cross-country evidence indicating that polarization in the form of income inequality, land inequality, & ethnic tensions is inversely related to a commonly used index of the security of contractual & property rights. When the security of property rights is controlled for in cross-country growth regressions, the relationship between inequality & growth diminishes considerably. This & other evidence provides support for our second hypothesis, that inequality reduces growth in part through its effect on the security of property rights. 3 Tables, 1 Appendix, 48 References. Adapted from the source document.
This article builds on punctuated equilibrium theory to evaluate the diffusion of public policy innovations in the United States. The article argues that punctuated equilibrium theory provides a unifying framework for understating three mechanisms leading to the diffusion of innovations: gradual policy diffusion driven by incremental policy emulation, rapid state‐to‐state diffusion driven by policy imitation and mimicking, and nearly immediate policy diffusion driven by state‐level responses to a common exogenous shock. Drawing upon the Bass mixed influence diffusion model, this research generates measures of the coefficients of external and internal influences for diffusion for 81 public policy innovations that have spread across the United States. The article then evaluates how the policy image and direct participation of the federal government contribute to distinct patterns of diffusion over time.
According to the Pew Research Center, the modern wave of political polarization began in 1994, and is the strongest today than it has ever been during the 23-year period. (2007) Polarization in the US party system is evidenced by several factors including: growing consistent partisan views, partisan antipathy, ideological bubbles, growing difference in preferences, a shrinking political center, and the lack of political compromise. (Pew Research Center 2014) The question I attempt to answer in this thesis is on the factors associated with political polarization within the millennial generation. One of the most pressing issues to this generation is what is known as the Student Loan Crisis, which is the $1.45 Trillion dollars Americans owe to private and federal lenders to attend college. (StudentLoanHero.com). In this thesis, I argue that economic inequality, via the student loan crisis, contributes to political polarization within the millennial generation. My analysis takes place at the level of the individual. I conduct a statistical analysis using the 2016 American National Election Survey Dataset, to test whether political polarization, operationalized as ideological and partisan polarization, is associated with polarization on economic issues that I link to wealth inequality in the millennial generation, controlling for polarization on social issues, interest in politics, and income. The main finding is that party/ideological polarization is positive and significantly related to polarization on economic issues in the millennial generation; whether or not the Student Loan Crisis underlies this link requires further study. ; 2018-08-01 ; B.A. ; College of Sciences, Political Science ; Bachelors ; This record was generated from author submitted information.
