In the Current Issue

Volume 138 - Number 3 - Fall 2023

Articles

Rethinking Political Polarization
Andreas Schedler analyzes the concept of political polarization. He introduces a democratic dimension to scholarly debates regarding polarization that have revolved mostly around “ideological” and “social” polarization. He argues that polarization can be understood as an instance of “extraordinary” conflict in which compliance with democratic norms turns uncertain and democracy stops being “the only game in town.”

Keeping Your Mouth Shut: Spiraling Self-Censorship in the United States
James L. Gibson AND Joseph L. Sutherland discuss self-censorship in the United States. They note that the percentage of Americans not feeling free to express their views has tripled since the time of McCarthyism. They argue that micro-environment sentiments, such as worrying that expressing unpopular views will isolate and alienate people from their friends, family, and neighbors, may be the driver of self-censorship.

Mobilizing the Shy and Closed-Minded into Politics: The Mediating Role of Political Trust for Conventional Participation in the Americas
Matthew Cawvey looks at why individuals low in extraversion and openness engage in public affairs. Using mediation analysis of AmericasBarometer survey data from North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean, he argues that introverted and close-minded individuals tend to be more politically engaged because of higher levels of political trust.

“Laboratories against Democracy” and the Case against Federalism
Daniel J. Hopkins reviews Jacob M. Grumbach’s new book, Laboratories against Democracy: How National Parties Transformed State Politics. While he voices some skepticism about the claim that federalism exacerbates contemporary threats to American democracy, he argues that the book is important, demands consideration, and is a model of synthetic scholarship.

Democratic Backsliding: Comparative Reflections on the American Experience
Omar G. Encarnación reviews Sara Wallace Goodman’s Citizenship in Hard Times: How Ordinary People Respond to Democratic Threat. He evaluates Goodman’s proposal for boosting democratic citizenship and discusses two additional remedies for democratic backsliding: accountability and fortifying democratic institutions.

Does Color Matter: Review Article of Skin Color, Power, and Politics in America
NATALIE MASUOKA reviews Skin Color, Power, and Politics in America by Mara C. Ostfeld and Nicole D. Yandon. She argues that the book offers useful insight into the degree of variation in experiences of racialization that occur within each racial/ethnic group and that this can be helpful in understanding variation in political attitudes within groups.

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