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.

Ordering Violence: Explaining Armed Group-State Relations from Conflict to Cooperation, Paul Staniland
Reviewed by Laia Balcells

Power Politics: Trump and the Assault on American Democracy, Darrell M. West
Reviewed by Philip Rocco

The Common Camp: Architecture of Power and Resistance in Israel-Palestine, Irit Katz
Reviewed by Nadya Hajj

Asian American Connective Action in the Age of Social Media: Civic Engagement, Contested Issues, and Emerging Identities, James Lai
Reviewed by Andrew Aoki

Marketing Democracy: The Political Economy of Democracy Aid in the Middle East, Erin A. Snider
Reviewed by Shamiran Mako

Big Data and the Welfare State: How the Information Revolution Threatens Social Solidarity, Torben Iversen and Philipp Rehm
Reviewed by Xiaoye She

Pawned States: State Building in the Era of International Finance, Didac Queralt
Reviewed by Marvin Suesse

Activist Origins of Political Ambition: Opposition Candidacy in Africa’s Electoral Authoritarian Regimes, Keith Weghorst
Reviewed by Rachael McLellan

Persuading the Supreme Court: The Significance of Briefs in Judicial Decision-Making, Rachael K. Hinkle and Morgan Hazelton
Reviewed by Rachel A. Spooner

Rage and Carnage in the Name of God: Religious Violence in Nigeria, Abiodun Alao
Reviewed by Mohammed Bashir Salau

Democracy’s Meanings: How the Public Understands Democracy and Why It Matters, Kirby Goidel, Nicholas T. Davis and Keith Gåddie
Reviewed by Patrick Flavin

The State of Resistance: Politics, Culture, and Identity in Modern Iran, Assal Rad
Reviewed by Menahem Merhavy

Narratives of Civic Duty: How National Stories Shape Democracy in Asia, Aram Hur
Reviewed by Hannes B. Mosler

Alternatives in Mobilization: Ethnicity, Religion, and Political Conflict, Jóhanna Kristín Birnir and Nil Seda Satana
Reviewed by Nathan Tarr

American Public Opinion and the Modern Supreme Court, 1930–2020: A Representative Institution, Thomas R. Marshall
Reviewed by Nancy B. Arrington

Quest for Democracy: Liberalism in the Modern Arab World, Line Khatib
Reviewed by Heba F. El-Shazli

Change in Global Environmental Politics: Temporal Focal Points and the Reform of International Institutions, Michael W. Manulak
Reviewed by Luis Rivera-Vélez

Great Power Competition and the Path to Democracy: The Case of Georgia, 1991–2020, Zarina Burkadze
Reviewed by Lincoln A. Mitchell

Legacies of Repression in Egypt and Tunisia: Authoritarianism, Political Mobilization, and Founding Elections, Alanna C. Torres-Van Antwerp
Reviewed by Saerom Han

What Goes Without Saying: Navigating Political Discussion in America, Jaime E. Settle and Taylor N. Carlson
Reviewed by Sarah Shugars

Judging Inequality: State Supreme Courts and the Inequality Crisis, James L. Gibson and Michael J. Nelson
Reviewed by Robert M. Howard

Money in Politics: Self-Enrichment, Campaign Spending, and Golden Parachutes, Simon Weschle
Reviewed by Seo-young Silvia Kim

All Options on the Table: Leaders, Preventive War, and Nuclear Proliferation, Rachel Elizabeth Whitlark
Reviewed by Lauren Sukin

China’s Contained Resource Curse: How Minerals Shape State-Capital-Labor Relations, Jing Vivian Zhan
Reviewed by Sarah Eaton

The U.S. Supreme Court’s Democratic Spaces, Jocelyn J. Evans and Keith Gaddie
Reviewed by Edward L. Rubin