This insightful Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of affective polarization, covering various subfields and theoretical frameworks and proposing avenues for further research. It highlights issues of conceptualization, methodology, causes, consequences, and interventions. It offers a comparative approach, examining the phenomenon across societies and political systems and providing evidence from Asia, Europe and the Americas.
The chapters in this Handbook are written by leading experts in the field. The first part of the Handbook discusses how affective polarization can be understood in the light of political theory and how it can be studied through the use of quantitative and qualitative methods. The next set of chapters provides comparative case studies across a range of world regions. Subsequent chapters examine the potential causes of polarization, including its social and ideological roots and the role played by, among others, identities, political competition, communication, and economic factors. The Handbook also reflects on the consequences of affective polarization for society and democracy, ranging from representation and accountability to political violence and democratic backsliding.
The
Handbook of Affective Polarization
is an essential resource for students and academics in political science, sociology, political psychology, and adjacent fields. Policymakers and practitioners working in public administration and management will also greatly benefit from its forward—thinking insights and strategies for mitigating affective polarization.