Polarization: What Everyone Needs to Know

Professor of politics, Nolan McCarty examines the 2016 election cycle through the lens of the United States’ complex and partisan election process. Polarization considers the problematic antecedents — from gerrymandering to the primary nomination process — and argues that, given those conditions, the 2016 election results were natural, not the distinct break from tradition that many perceived them to be. McCarty provides suggestions for how we can begin to remedy our electoral process.