Why coalition governing can alleviate political polarization
Navn på bevillingshaver
Ida Hjermitslev
Titel
Postdoctoral Fellow
Institution
University of Vienna
Beløb
DKK 1,517,592
År
2023
Bevillingstype
Reintegration Fellowships
Hvad?
The project demonstrates the importance of consensual democratic institutions, namely coalition governing, for limiting political polarization among citizens. I ask why some electorates polarize more than others and look towards elite-level coalition formation, and its role in shaping the political identities that citizens polarize around, for answers.
Hvorfor?
Polarization is an urgent challenge to societies as it erodes democratic norms and trust in government. We know that coalitions impact party perceptions, but the effect on the polarization of voters’ identities and attitudes is unexplored. Understanding how elite-level behavior affect mass-level polarization allow us to assess the health and quality of consensus democracies in years to come.
Hvordan?
The project uses cross-national, panel, and experimental survey data. It includes a cross-national comparative study of how coalition formation affects political identities as well as two studies using Denmark as a particularly enlightening case. The new cross-aisle coalition ruling Denmark offers a unique opportunity to study how polarization responds to changing patterns of coalition formation.