Political Cleavages and Social Inequalities

Why people recommend it

Political Cleavages and Social Inequalities is a scholarly volume edited by Amory Gethin, Clara Martinez-Toledano, and Thomas Piketty that examines the evolution of political conflicts and voting patterns across numerous democracies over several decades. On The Ezra Klein Show in February 2024, guest Ruy Teixeira discussed the volume with host Ezra Klein during a segment titled Why Haven't the Democrats Completely Cleaned the Republicans' Clock. Teixeira enthusiastically recommended the book to the listening audience, describing it as a marvelous compendium of studies spanning fifty democracies. He noted that the publication features copious amounts of data detailing all of the major political and demographic trends that he and Klein had analyzed throughout the course of their podcast conversation. By compiling extensive empirical research on income, education, geography, and changing voter coalitions, the editors provide an essential resource for understanding modern electoral shifts. Listeners interested in the deep structural causes behind contemporary political polarization and the changing nature of party support find this data-driven compilation particularly valuable for mapping out long-term democratic transformations across the globe.