Blame avoidance in polarized societies: Challenges and research agenda

How do blame generation and avoidance function in affectively polarized societies? The concept of blame rests on two implicit assumptions: first, the existence of a cohesive electorate that shares a set of common values and a general agreement over factual realities; second, this electorate holds politicians accountable for their policies and actions. This chapter contends that affective polarization erodes these assumptions. In affectively polarized societies, the electorate is sharply divided within two adversary political camps, which detrimentally reduces the scope of consensus in the society. This turns the electoral competition into a struggle between identities rather than policies and outcomes. Under these conditions, blame could operate significantly differently from what the current blame-avoidance literature predicts. The chapter concludes by presenting a research agenda that offers a theoretical and empirical framework for future studies on the implications of affective polarization on blame generation and avoidance.