Overcoming Polarization

Abstract

Around the world, democracy is being undermined by elected leaders using polarizing political strategies that divide societies into mutually distrustful camps.The logic of polarization creates incentives for political leaders and voters to sacrifice democratic principles rather than risk losing power, and it changes the capacity of institutions designed to manage political conflict and sustain democracy.Drawing lessons from comparative experiences around the world, we propose strategies for oppositions to depolarize or repolarize around democracy-building agendas.We further analyze the challenges of "the day after" polarizing incumbents are removed and how strategic choices to emphasize long-term collective interests over short-term partisan interests can begin to shift the vicious cycle to a virtuous one.Whether intentionally or not, elected officials around the world are subverting democracy from within by using polarizing political strategies in their bids to gain or retain power.Their societies are left to grapple with a vexing challenge: pernicious polarization.We argue that polarization is a process of simplifying politics by presenting either-or choices to the public, thus consolidating the political field into opposing, increasingly immovable blocs.It becomes pernicious, or harmful for democracy, when it divides the electorate into two mutually distrustful camps. 1 Such conditions can trap societies in a vicious cycle of polarizing strategies and democratic erosion, and the choices of political actors are key to finding a way out.In some cases, polarization stresses but does not necessarily degrade democracy-at least not right away.One example of such strain on a still-functioning democracy might be the United Kingdom, where new divides over Brexit-fed by the political strategies of the Conservative and

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