Research shows that partisan animosity and threats against public officials are on the rise. For The Polarization Project, HFG Distinguished Fellows of Practice Greg Berman interviews leading scholars and practitioners working to understand how stark political divisions may lead to violence and what to do about it.

As part of the Violence, Politics, & Democracy initiative, HFG will host a series of live and virtual discussions with scholars and practitioners to advance understanding of antidemocratic threats in the United States and other mature democracies.

On Oct. 17 at 1 pm. ET, HFG welcomes Paul M. Barrett, author of ‘We Want You To Be A Proud Boy’: How Social Media Facilitates Political Intimidation and Violence, to discuss his report and steps that social media companies can take to reduce their contribution to increasing levels of political intimidation and violence across the U.S. and around the world.

‘We Want You To Be A Proud Boy’: How Social Media Facilitates Political Intimidation and Violence, an HFG-funded report from the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, details how social media use can enable or contribute to political strife. Based on a review of more than 400 social science studies, the report by Paul M. Barrett identifies particular features of social media platforms that make them susceptible to exploitation and suggests how to mitigate the dangers.

In Government Legitimacy, Social Solidarity, and American Homicide in Historical Perspective, Randolph Roth, professor of history and sociology at The Ohio State University, argues that shifts in citizens’ beliefs about the legitimacy of their government and the character of political leadership, feelings of affinity for — or alienation from — fellow citizens, and acceptance or resentment of their place in the social order affect the frequency with which Americans kill each other.

HFG has launched a three-year project with Salzburg Global Seminar to explore violent threats to democracy worldwide. Polarization and Violent Threats to Democratic Systems: Assessing the Threats and What We Can Do About Them aims to develop a network of researchers and stakeholders examining rising polarization and political violence; define objectives for shaping a new research agenda on the rise of polarization and political violence; understand how to assess escalating threats; and posit recommendations for addressing threats effectively.