How Divisive Entrepreneurs Exploit Societal Vulnerabilities Revealed in New Report

A new report by the Pathfinders for Peace, Just, and Inclusive Societies at NYU's Center on International Cooperation (CIC) explores escalating global fragmentation, the dynamics fueling this trend, and emerging solutions to counteract its adverse effects. The work also introduces the concept of "divisive entrepreneurs"-those who deliberately exploit societal vulnerabilities by engaging in divisive political strategies to foment discord as well as to distract and misinform populations.

"Today, we're witnessing how strategically divisive narratives pit people, identities, and even policy issues against one another to distract and disempower communities," said Raquel Jesse, the report's author and program officer at CIC. "This work was born from the recurring concerns and challenges we kept hearing from policymakers and civil society-whether from South Africa, Spain, or South Korea-about backlash and division in implementing inclusive policies. This report seeks to understand how and why different communities and policy agendas are being undermined in strikingly similar ways. Some actors deliberately engage in these tactics, not purely motivated by hate or prejudice, but for their own political ambition and greed."

The new report, "From Rhetoric to Reality: Uncovering Strategic Division and the Linkages Between Polarization and Inequality," reveals that as inequalities within and between countries have risen in recent years, so have divisive narratives, disinformation, and hate speech. It identifies strategically divisive narratives as a vector of fragmentation, using identity politics not to encourage solidarity or understand intersecting inequalities but to foster a conflict mindset where identities, policies, and fears are set against one another. These narratives exploit fear and insecurity and leverage social media algorithms to spread divisive rhetoric, it concludes.

"Knowledge is power. When much of what we see, hear, and read online-and the quality of that information-is dictated by algorithms and mediated disproportionately by a handful of conglomerates that have so far mostly avoided regulation, we have given away a significant source of power," said Ambassador Martin Kimani, CIC's executive director. "While no single factor is primarily responsible for political polarization, the intersection of human intent with new digital capacities has undoubtedly created a fresh infrastructure of incentives and short-term benefits. This not only accelerates and monetizes the spread of disinformation and adversarial rhetoric but also often comes at the expense of quality information and diverse, independent, and local news and investigative journalism in favor of clickbait and soundbites."

Growing inequalities and the consolidation of control over information, combined with multiple crises and unmet promises, have created an environment ripe for pessimism, conflict, and fragmentation. These dynamics threaten governance and democracy, necessitating a strategic response to promote social cohesion. The report proposes a dual policy framework to address strategic division:

1. Interventions to counteract and disrupt the mechanisms of strategic division through media literacy initiatives, anti disinformation campaigns, defunding disinformation, social dialogue, conflict resolution, and support for media diversity and independence.
2. Interventions targeting the underlying factors making societies susceptible to strategic division through reducing inequalities, delivering visible changes to daily lives, and strengthening institutions.

The report emphasizes the need to reject the politics of hate and fear and instead equip policymakers with tools to navigate disinformation and backlash and adopt inclusive, adaptive, and people-centered policy approaches and narratives.

Availability:
The full report, "Beyond the Rhetoric: Uncovering Strategic Division and the Interlinkages Between Polarization and Inequality," is available for download on the CIC website.

About the Center on International Cooperation (CIC):
The Center on International Cooperation (CIC) is a nonprofit research center housed at New York University. For over two decades, CIC has been a leader in applied policy that links politics, security, justice, development, and humanitarian issues. CIC's mission is to strengthen cooperative approaches among national governments, international organizations, and the wider policy community to prevent crises and advance peace, justice, and inclusion. Learn more at its website and @nyuCIC on social media.

About The Pathfinders' Grand Challenge on Inequality and Exclusion:
The Pathfinders for Peace, Just and Inclusive Societies' Grand Challenge on Inequality and Exclusion is a cross-regional alliance of countries, civil society, and multilateral partners seeking to identify practical, politically viable solutions to combat inequality, exclusion, and divisions at the national and international level, and advocating for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda targets for more equitable and inclusive societies (SDG16+). Learn more at the Pathfinders website.

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