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The Dispatch: Aristotle Warned Us to Guard the Middle Class

There’s a correlation between the shrinking middle and political polarization.

By experts and staff

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Experts

  • By Benn Steil
    Senior Fellow and Director of International Economics

My July 30, 2025 column for The Dispatch looks at Aristotle’s warnings regarding the political importance of maintaining a large middle class, and discusses their relevance for today. I find a tight correlation between the decline in the relative size of the U.S. middle class and the rise in political polarization since 1970, suggesting that we as a society are headed into a period of dangerous instability.