A Comparative Analysis of Depolarization Strategies

The salience of political polarization has increased rapidly in the last few years as this phenomenon has infiltrated countries across the globe, including the United States. A potential consequence of polarization is democratic decay, or the gradual transition of democracies into more autocratic regimes. Remedies proposed by scholars include electoral system reforms, inclusive rhetorical strategies, and civic dialogue initiatives, among others. This thesis investigates institutional and political remedies, relying on both quantitative and qualitative analyses, to determine whether these approaches to depolarization are effective in practice. The findings are applied to the US case