Tag: The Big Sort
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Big Sort: Post-Materialism
(Link to Part 3) Earlier in this Big Sort series, we noted Bill Bishop’s observation that the first half of the twentieth century had been about economic specialization and the second half about social specialization. What drove this social specialization? Bishop calls it post-materialism. He writes: The new politics was molded by post-materialist realities. Tradition,…
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Big Sort: Geography vs. Demography
(Link to Part 1) Bill Bishop opens his book The Big Sort, illustrating how counties have become more politically homogeneous. However, he points out that people generally didn't choose to move where they did based on political criteria. They tended to move to places where they felt comfortable, and their identity was reinforced. People with…
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The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing us Apart
Today I'm initiating a series of posts on The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing us Apart. This book was published last year by journalist Bill Bishop and relies heavily on statistical analysis provided by retired University of Texas sociologist Robert G. Cushing. Their conclusions are somewhat controversial, but I believe…