2024 is a massively consequential year for national and global politics. Sixty-four countries across the world will have elections over the next 12 months - including the U.S., U.K., European Parliament, Taiwan, India, South Africa, and Mexico. This is a watershed moment for democracy as a governing system not simply because so much of the world's population will mobilize to decide who comes to power - but because, at this moment, countries are more polarized than they have ever been.

How did we get here? Why are democratic electorates so deeply divided? Is it culture war? Are we chess pieces in a game played by political opportunists? Is this an organic outcome of pluralistic societies? What's going on?

The CounterPol (short for "Counter Polarization") podcast is trying to figure all this out.

In this first season, we talk with scholars, business leaders, and peace activists to understand the mechanics of societal polarization. Over eight episodes, guests share their research with the listener - the culmination of which, we hope, brings to light the overt and covert processes that are driving us further apart.

Join Ceejay Hayes, Alan Jagolinzer, and Sander van der Linden as they dive into the complex world of polarization.

Send your questions, comments, and theories to counterpolpodcast@gmail.com