How can rural vs urban polarization be repaired

Government scholars, Suzanne Mettler and Trevor Brown, both rose in rural communities – and both were surprised at how small cities were divided.

“Many of my family friends voted for Democrats and they were more hopeful about politics.” ’25, published in September by Princeton University Press, “Rural vs Urban: The growing division that is threatening democracy,” Recently, they are reinforcing through the Republican Party, and there is more confidence in the institutions affiliated with urban areas. “

To know that changes in rural politics are related to the growing polarization, brown and metaller, PhD. John El, senior professor of US institutions at the College of Arts and Sciences, analyzed the figures for five decades and all 3,143 US counties. He interviewed local party leaders and former elected officials, focusing on Georgia, Ohio, Michigan and North Carolina, and to some extent, Missouri and Texas.

In the book, they show how this distinction has emerged in the last 30 years, how has politically active organizations deepen it that helps the Republican Party gain support, and why it threatens democracy. In rural areas, the benefit of the party in the US political system, such as the US Senate and the Electoral College, writes and increases it. But they also argue that the current polarization is not inevitable or out of repair.

“We are definitely concerned, but we do not think we have reached a return place,” said Brown, a colleague of Post Documentary at John Hopkins University.

The College of Arts and Sciences talked about the book with Mettler and Brown.

Both methods of your research – data analysis and interviews – how did it work?

Quantity data give us extensive coverage in both place and time. This allows us to analyze economic, population and even attitudes so that we can see how matters have changed over time and places, and test different ideas as to why politics has changed so much in rural areas.

The interview helped us understand how the politics of the rural people are “running” on the ground. They raised the samples we were seeing in quantitative data, providing examples in the original places.

How has the space -based prejudiced distribution appeared in Congress?

Like the 1990s recently, Democrats sent dozens of Congress members from some rural districts of the country. As we show in the book, these legislators were key to advancing public policy, which increased health insurance and well organized the economy.

However, recently, we have learned that most Republicans have dominated in rural districts. In fact, while we do not find evidence that rural people are far more extremely than urban people, some of the most conservative members in the countryside are sending Congress. These Congress members have helped promote political instability and voted in favor of highly unpopular policies, such as deductions in recent taxes whose benefits go to the most rich.

How do the progress you make is threatening democracy?

In local places, rural citizens distribute residents into a party rule. This often leads to voters without the meaningful choice of candidates, and it makes elected officials less accountable to the public, which can lead to representation or even corruption. Overall, for the nation, today’s rural urban distribution can harm the principle of majority.

The reason for this is that for the first time in American history, the institutional features of the nation that give additional political conflicts to low -populous places (such as the US Senate structure, electoral college, etc.) are now focused within the same political party that is meant to dominate these places. This has helped the party gain an extraordinary voice in the federal elections and consequently to determine the shape of the federal government’s three branches, even when the majority of voters prefer different results.

When you think about moving routes, why do you put your hopes in organizing and building relationships?

We certainly think that legislators should work to improve the economy for rural people through public policy reforms. This will help improve the lives of millions of people. In fact, many policy suggestions that provide assistance in rural areas will also provide assistance to citizens. But we do not think it is enough to reduce political and social polarization.

Instead, we argue that the rural areas need to be investigated in organizing the Democratic Party. Currently, a party is dominated in rural areas. But to work well, voters need real choice in elections. Investing in party building can also help policy makers gain confidence in the constituencies, who often see them as far -reaching, far -flung elites.