Editing Political polarization (section)

=== Pernicious polarization ===
In political science, pernicious polarization occurs when a single [[Cleavage (politics)|political cleavage]] overrides other divides and commonalities to the point it has boiled into a single divide which becomes entrenched and self-reinforcing.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=McCoy|first1=Jennifer|last2=Rahman|first2=Tahmina|date=2016-07-25|title=Polarized Democracies in Comparative Perspective: Toward a Conceptual Framework|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336830321}}</ref> Unlike most types of polarization, pernicious polarization does not need to be [[Ideological continuum|ideological]]. Rather, pernicious polarization operates on a single political cleavage, which can be [[Political party|partisan identity]], [[Religion|religious]] vs [[Secularism|secular]], [[Globalism|globalist]] vs [[Nationalism|nationalist]], [[Urban area|urban]] vs [[Rural area|rural]], etc.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last1=McCoy|first1=Jennifer|last2=Somer|first2=Murat|date=2019-01-01|title=Toward a Theory of Pernicious Polarization and How It Harms Democracies: Comparative Evidence and Possible Remedies|journal=The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science|language=en|volume=681|issue=1|pages=234–271|doi=10.1177/0002716218818782|issn=0002-7162|doi-access=free|s2cid=150169330}}</ref> This political divide creates an explosion of mutual group [[distrust]] which hardens between the two political parties (or [[Coalitions of parties|coalitions]]) and spreads beyond the political sphere into societal relations.<ref name=":3" /> People begin to perceive politics as "us" vs "them."<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last1=Somer|first1=Murat|last2=McCoy|first2=Jennifer|date=2019-01-01|title=Transformations through Polarizations and Global Threats to Democracy|journal=The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science|volume=681|issue=1|pages=8–22|doi=10.1177/0002716218818058|issn=0002-7162|doi-access=free|s2cid=149764414}}</ref> The office of Ombudsman of Argentina has been vacant since 2009, along with a companion Public Defender's office, allegedly because of pernicious polarization.<ref><!-- Pablo Ezequiel Stropparo (2023) "Pueblo desnudo y público movilizado por el poder"-->{{cite Q|Q120637687}}</ref>

====Causes====
According to Carothers & O'Donohue (2019), pernicious polarization is a process most often driven by a single political cleavage dominating an otherwise pluralistic political life, overriding other cleavages.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|last=and|date=2019-04-01|title=Democracies Divided|url=https://www.brookings.edu/book/democracies-divided/|access-date=2019-11-24|website=Brookings|language=en-US}}</ref> On the other hand, Slater & Arugay (2019) have argued that it's not the depth of a single social cleavage, but the political elite's process for removing a leader which best explains whether or not polarization truly becomes pernicious.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last=Arugay, Slater|first=Aires, Dan|date=2019|title=Polarizing Figures: Executive Power and Institutional Conflict in Asian Democracies|journal=American Behavioral Scientist|volume=62|pages=92–106|doi=10.1177/0002764218759577|doi-access=free}}</ref> Lebas & Munemo (2019) have argued pernicious polarization is marked by both deeper societal penetration and segregation than other forms of political polarization, making it less amenable to resolution.<ref name=":8">{{Cite journal|last1=LeBas|first1=Adrienne|last2=Munemo|first2=Ngonidzashe|date=2019-01-01|title=Elite Conflict, Compromise, and Enduring Authoritarianism: Polarization in Zimbabwe, 1980–2008|journal=The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science|language=en|volume=681|issue=1|pages=209–226|doi=10.1177/0002716218813897|issn=0002-7162|doi-access=free|s2cid=150337601}}</ref> It is agreed, however, that pernicious polarization reinforces and entrenches itself, dragging the country into a downward spiral of anger and division for which there are no easy remedies.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":4" />

====Effect on governance====
Pernicious polarization makes [[compromise]], [[Consensus decision-making|consensus]], interaction, and [[Toleration|tolerance]] increasingly costly and tenuous for individuals and political actors on both sides of the divide.<ref name=":9">{{Cite journal|last=Somer, McCoy|first=Murat, Jennifer|date=2018|title=Deja Vu? Polarization and Endangered Democracies in the 21st Century|journal=American Behavioral Scientist|volume=62|pages=3–15|doi=10.1177/0002764218760371|doi-access=free}}</ref> Pernicious polarization routinely weakens respect for democratic norms, corrodes basic [[Legislature|legislative]] processes, undermines the nonpartisan nature of the [[judiciary]] and fuels public disaffection with political parties. It exacerbates intolerance and [[discrimination]], diminishes societal [[Trust (social science)|trust]], and increases [[violence]] throughout the society. As well as potentially leading to [[democratic backsliding]].<ref name=":6" /> In country-by-country instances of pernicious polarization, it is common to see the winner exclude the loser from positions of power or using means to prevent the loser from becoming a threat in the future. In these situations, the loser typically questions the legitimacy of the institutions allowing the winner to create a [[hegemony]], which causes citizens to grow [[Cynicism (contemporary)|cynical]] towards politics. In these countries, politics is often seen as a self-referential power game that has nothing to do with people.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Vegetti|first=Federico|date=2019-01-01|title=The Political Nature of Ideological Polarization: The Case of Hungary|journal=The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science|language=en|volume=681|issue=1|pages=78–96|doi=10.1177/0002716218813895|issn=0002-7162|doi-access=free|s2cid=199896426}}</ref>

====Effect on public trust====
{{Further|Post-truth politics}}
Perniciously polarized societies often witness public [[Controversy|controversies]] over factually provable questions. During this process, [[fact]]s and moral truths increasingly lose their weight, as more people [[Conformity|conform]] to the messages of their own bloc. Social and political actors such as [[journalist]]s, [[Academic staff|academics]], and [[politician]]s either become engaged in [[Partisan (politics)|partisan]] storytelling or else incur growing [[social]], [[Politics|political]], and [[Economics|economic]] costs. Electorates lose confidence in [[Public institution (United States)|public institutions]]. Support for norms and [[democracy]] decline. It becomes increasingly difficult for people to act in a [[Morality|morally principled]] fashion by appealing to the [[truth]] or acting in line with one's [[Value (ethics)|values]] when it conflicts with one's party interests.<ref name=":9" /> Once pernicious polarization takes hold, it takes on a life of its own, regardless of earlier [[intention]]s.<ref name=":5" />