Vicky Chuqiao Yang - The Santa Fe Institute

ABSTRACT: The recent US political landscape brings many puzzling questions. For example, the two major parties have become increasingly polarized since the 1960s, while most voters maintained moderate policy positions. What can lead to the disconnect between the parties and the voters? Also, a sizable proportion, often the majority, of the voting population is uninformed about facts relevant to their voting decisions, such as policies proposed by the candidates. Can such a voting body deliver good collective decisions? In this talk, I give an overview of research projects that address these complex issues, which leverage dynamical-system models, empirical findings in psychology, and data analysis. This approach takes into account the impact of multiple, complex, and often non-linear factors, and aims to give a coherent understanding of complex social phenomena.