Political Activism and Electoral Democracy: Perspectives on Economic Inequality and Political Polarization

Abstract

This chapter uses evidence about political activity to shed light on two puzzles. First, the chapter considers why, in a two-party system with equal voting, contrary to the logic of the median voter model, the majority who have incomes at the lower end of the economic ladder do not use their voting power to foster public policies that redistribute wealth from those above the median. Second, the chapter looks at why the two parties and their candidates do not converge at the preferences of the median voter but instead offer genuine policy alternatives. In response, the chapter reveals that voters are not equal in their voting strength.