🗃️ New data is in it, too!
As part of the DANGER project, we collected new data on the position of 387 parliamentary parties and 30 electoral alliances competing in 130 elections of 25 interwar European democracies. This data is published along with the AIEEDA dataset: lnkd.in/eAwbbQqC
(4/4)

3️⃣ Measures of polarization that integrate multiple policy dimensions outperform unidimensional measures of polarization.
4️⃣ While separately measuring polarization and fragmentation, we can analyze their distinct effects, which was not possible with most common polarization indices.
(3/4)

Our key findings are:
1️⃣ Too high levels of polarization were counterproductive for the survival of democracies in interwar Europe, but so were too low levels of polarization.
2️⃣ Low levels of fragmentation aggravated the negative effects of too little and too much polarization.
(2/4)

Also, this is the first election that I have heard several non-political scientists talk about strategically voting for Die Linke, with the goal of supporting the “left-wing” in the Bundestag - also from people who have never considered voting for Die Linke, before. Exit polls will be interesting!