Citation

Dixit AK, Weibull JW. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2007; 104(18): 7351-7356.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, National Academy of Sciences)

DOI

10.1073/pnas.0702071104

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Failures of government policies often provoke opposite reactions from citizens; some call for a reversal of the policy, whereas others favor its continuation in stronger form. We offer an explanation of such polarization, based on a natural bimodality of preferences in political and economic contexts and consistent with Bayesian rationality.
Political polarization entails quite serious risks; political debates get bitter, and the very existence of a civil society may be threatened. Current examples are policies concerning discrimination, immigration, gender, religion, welfare state, human rights, terrorism, civil wars, national sovereignty, and nuclear armament.

Language: en