Political Parties as Drivers of U.S. Polarization: 1927-2018
政党如何推动美国政治极化:1927—2018
The current polarization of elites in the U.S., particularly in Congress, is frequently ascribed to the emergence of cohorts of ideologically extreme legislators replacing moderate ones.Politicians, however, do not operate as isolated agents, driven solely by their preferences.They act within organized parties, whose leaders exert control over the rank-and-file, directing support for and against policies.This paper shows that the omission of party discipline as a driver of…