WHAT ARE THE BASES OF POLITICAL INTEGRATION AND DIVISION?

Both political integration and political division originate from the activity of individuals and groups acting on the basis of their partisan views of what society ought to be. By studying social actors at the intersection of the social categories and relational networks to which they belong, I aim to capture the dynamics of identity formation and social influence that trigger political action and to connect attitudinal changes to broader processes of interest representation and mobilization.

An integrated society is not a society in which conflict and disparities are absent. Rather, it is one in which conflict expresses itself through crosscutting interests and identities. On the other hand, political and social division occurs when actors polarize around exclusive identities. In my research on public opinion polarization in the US, I look at the changes in partisanship, political preferences, and associational affiliations of American citizens and ask to what extent our society actually resembles the ideal of "political pluralism." By studying conflict and political division, I show how collective action originates from the simultaneity of shared interests and social identities within niches of sustained social interaction. In my earlier work on heuristics and voting behavior, I examined the cognitive shortcuts citizens use to understand politics and define their allegiances.

Taken together, my work looks at the cognitive, relational and structural bases of political participation and activism, addressing topics in collective action, political networks, social influence, public opinion, and voting behavior.

CURRICULUM VITA (pdf)

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

D. Baldassarri, A. Gelman (2008) Partisans Without Constraint: Political Polarization and Trends in American Public Opinion, American Journal of Sociology, forthcoming.

D. Baldassarri, M. Diani (2007) The Integrative Power of Civic Networks, American Journal of Sociology, 113(3): 735-80.

D. Baldassarri, P. Bearman (2007) Dynamics of Political Polarization, American Sociological Review, 72: 784-811.

D. Baldassarri, H.M.A. Schadee (2006) Voter Heuristics and Political Cognition in Italy: An Empirical Typology, Electoral Studies, 25, 448-466.

D. Baldassarri (2005) Beyond Free Riding: On the Use of Formal Models for the Study of Collective Action. Rassegna Italiana di Sociologia, 1, 125-156.

D. Baldassarri (2005) La semplice arte di votare. Le scorciatoie cognitive degli elettori italiani, Il Mulino, Bologna. En. Title: "The Simple Art of Voting: The Cognitive Shortcuts of Italian Citizens."