Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/298493 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
Discussion paper No. 160
Publisher: 
Aboa Centre for Economics (ACE), Turku
Abstract: 
We use novel data to describe the evolution of party differences in parliamentary speech in Finland during 1907-2018. We find a peak in left-right polarization in the 1970s, driven by the extreme left party, and co-occuring with a high prevalance of Soviet Union related phrases, perhaps resulting from Soviet information influencing. The period was also marked with short-lived coalition governments and inefficient policymaking. Moreover, as we find that left-right partisanship fluctuates during the majority of the 20th century, our results show that the levels of polarization currently perceived as high in many countries may not be that exceptional.
Subjects: 
text analysis
parliamentary speech
polarization
JEL: 
D72
P00
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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