How economic and politics inequality effect polarization in US

First of all, this literature will analyze the relationships between economic and political inequality and political polarization in the United States. The structure of this paper firstly presents an array of financial and political discrepancy. Subsequently, will link how those gaps contribute to polarization in the political sphere in the US. At the end, this essay will conclude and suggest certain limitations to this research. Drawing from the structure, one of the causes that trigger political polarization in the US is differentiation in terms of financial. Rosset, J, et al. , (2013) stated that “economic variables (e. g. , party funding, political rewards, differing degrees of political participation across income categories, etc. ) can influence the representation process, contributing to more likelihood that the concerns of wealthier residents are heard”. The finding of this research reflected that oftentimes there are disadvantages among relatively poor US citizens. The reason for this is that the US politicians prioritized wealthy supporters since more financial assistance will enormously benefit them. For instance, they can convey voters by offering or even buying political votes. Thereby such behavior impacts on how the importance of the minority voices in the US have been overlooked. Moreover, Dettery, B. , & Campbell. E, J (2013) found that “growing income inequality is said to have exacerbated economic disparities between the upper and lower classes, forcing higher-income Americans into the arms of a more homogeneous Republican Party and lower-income Americans into a relatively homogeneous Democratic Party. ” This is due to the fact that on the one hand, one ideology promotes opportunity for free market to prevail and less government involvement while the same is true oppositely. Despite the following factor, another contributor can be unequal income distribution. More specifically, Gu, Y. , & Wang, Z (2021) mentioned that “inequality in income distribution may deepen political polarization by reducing the proportion of the middle class”. This illustrates that as middle class citizens incline, it may lead to the rise of polarization ideologies due to how the wealth distribution worsen their income status from middle to a lower class. Aside from the economic differences, it can be widely argued that political and other aspects also play massive roles in shaping political polarization in the US as well. One of them is as Iyenka, et al. (2019) put forward their argument that “they would be less likely to feel “comfortable” with their child marrying someone who identifies with the opposite party than was the case in the 1960s”. From this argument, it clearly demonstrates the political identities have changed dramatically since the 1960s as citizens themselves either become more liberal or consevative over the period of time. The reason for such phenomenon is that as the parties become more aligned in their policy position, the voting behavior can also switch in accordingly. Moreover, another reason that can lead to political polarization is institutional rule. Blinder, A. S (2000) gave an explanation that “during the past few decades, the party that controlled the Senate has always either been Republican or Democrats. Such domination is a robust example of how each party’s filibuster can block the policy of their counterpart until another party agrees to adopt policies that meet their demands. ” For instance, when the Republican party is in control in Congress, they will be able to reject any policies imposed by Democrats since they hold a supermajority. Interestingly, Racheal, K (2018) given a report on murder and extremist, “87% of the Americans held an assumption that political violence is never acceptable. On the other hand, 3 and 5% of respondents stated political violence is an acceptable and somewhat justifiable action, respectively. Furthermore, 78% of those who committed murders are from right wing. This evidence supports an argument that psychological motivation can also be one of several factors which drive political inequality in the US modern society along with other relevant factors.