by Amory Gethin
First published 2021
Political divisions shape modern democracies in unexpected ways. Gethin and his collaborators examine voting behavior across fifty countries from 1948 to 2020, drawing on an extensive collection of survey data. The authors analyze how voter characteristics like income, education, religion, ethnicity, age, and gender connect to political preferences. Their research reveals why rising inequality has not sparked traditional class warfare but instead fueled new conflicts over identity and national boundaries. The book explores how political movements build coalitions by appealing to multiple interests and identities simultaneously. It examines the conditions that make inequality politically important and identifies common patterns among supporters of ethnonationalist leaders including Narendra Modi, Jair Bolsonaro, Marine Le Pen, and Donald Trump. The analysis spans five continents and seven decades, providing historical context often missing from contemporary political discussions. Readers gain access to comprehensive data on democratic polarization and tools for understanding current voting patterns and future political tensions.
Genres: political-science, sociology, social-issues, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: comparative-analysis, data-driven, historical-context
Setting: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America
Period: 1948-2020
656 pages · Hardcover · Harvard University Press