Partisan polarization has steadily increased in recent years. Democrats and Republicans in Congress have become two ideologically divided groups, with little ability to work together to solve the nation’s problems. And, citizens have increasingly used partisanship to guide their voting decisions, even as they diverge more and more on answers to the important questions of the day.
As we move into the second year of Trump’s administration, we explore what partisanship looks like in Congress and the nation. In doing so, we ask a variety of questions, such as:
To answer these and other important questions, we invite four esteemed political scientists to USC to offer their insights: Larry Bartels (Vanderbilt University), Sarah Binder (George Washington University and The Brookings Institution), Boris Heersink (Fordham University), and Frances Lee (University of Maryland). Each will present new research with the hope of better understanding parties and partisanship in the “Age of Trump.”