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When Democracy Falters: A Multidisciplinary, Multi-book Review Essay on Polarization, Populism, and Authoritarianism

Author

Listed:
  • Betsey Stevenson

Abstract

This multi-book review argues that identity-driven polarization interacts with institutional design to erode democratic guardrails. Reading Heather Cox Richardson's Democracy Awakening, Tom Schaller, and Paul Waldman's White Rural Rage, and Ezra Klein's Why We're Polarized through an economist's lens, I emphasize two claims. First, when institutions fail to deliver broadly shared security and dignity, anti-pluralist projects gain legitimacy and room to maneuver. Second, questions of belonging, citizenship, and the obligations of government to the people are informed by culture and institutional trust. The culture of the United States is not one that lends itself readily to ethno-nationalism, but these books make a case for an America that is, and perhaps has always, been divided by notions of who "we" are. I situate the books within the economics literature on populism, polarization, and institutions, and examine what we can learn about rebuilding both prosperity and democratic resilience in the United States.

Suggested Citation

  • Betsey Stevenson, 2026. "When Democracy Falters: A Multidisciplinary, Multi-book Review Essay on Polarization, Populism, and Authoritarianism," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 64(2), pages 679-697, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:jeclit:v:64:y:2026:i:2:p:679-97
    DOI: 10.1257/jel.20251778
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D02 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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