La démocratie électorale en danger ?

Electoral democracy in danger? Ideological and affective polarization

The research program proposed by the two fellows, entitled Electoral Democracy in Danger? Ideological and Affective Polarization, promises to be innovative. Without omitting ideological polarization, it aims to stimulate comparative research on affective polarization, a concept that has not yet been explored. The field of study will extend not only to Europe and North America, but also to more recent democracies, such as Latin America.

Together with young researchers and students, and during various academic activities on both sides of the Atlantic, Ruth Dassonneville and Romain Lachat will examine the following questions in particular:

• What is the degree of affective polarization among citizens?
• How does it vary according to contextual characteristics (degree of democratic consolidation or institutional factors) or the types of competing parties, their strategies and rhetoric?
• Are socio-cultural issues more likely than socio-economic issues to generate identity-based conflicts?
• Under what conditions can this polarization lead to a weakening of support for democratic norms?

This episode was produced as part of the CERIUM-FMSH Chair on Global Governance.