Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics

Marc J. Hetherington is currently Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University. In 2004 he was awarded the Emerging Scholar Award from the Public Opinion, Elections, and Voting Behavior Section of the American Political Science Association for his scholarly contribution within his first ten years in the profession. He is also the author of Why Trust Matters: Declining Political Trust and the Demise of American Liberalism and numerous articles that have appeared in American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, the British Journal of Political Science, and Public Opinion Quarterly. Jonathan D. Weiler is currently Director of Undergraduate Studies and Adjunct Assistant Professor of International and Area Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. His previous book, Human Rights in Russia: A Darker Side of Reform, was published in 2004. He blogs daily about politics and sports at www.jonathanweiler.com.

• 1. Spanking or time out: a clash of worldviews?; 2. Putting polarization in perspective; 3. Authoritarianism and non-authoritarianism: concepts and measures; 4. Historical account of the roots of worldview evolution; 5. How authoritarianism structures contemporary issues; 6. Threat and authoritarianism: polarization or convergence; 7. Evidence of worldview evolution; 8. Immigration: a reinforcing cleavage that constrains the GOP; 9. What the 2008 democratic nomination struggle reveals about party polarization; 10. A somewhat different take on polarization.

'Hetherington and Weiler's Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics breaks new ground in the debate about the nature of polarization in the American public and in so doing reinvigorates the study of authoritarianism. This is an important and compelling work that will be of interest to all students of American politics.' Edward G. Carmines, Indiana University