Jennifer McCoy (Georgia State University)

Overcoming Pernicious Polarization and Protecting Democracy

Abstract Jennifer McCoy has been writing about Us vs Them political polarization and its pernicious consequences for democracy around the world.  Now she is investigating ways to reduce or manage that polarization while enhancing democratic resilience.  She will speak about the broad trends in polarization globally and specific challenges for specific countries to address it, including the U.S. as a uniquely polarized wealthy Western democracy, and potential ways to address it.