THE HIGH AND THE LOW IN POLITICS: Argentina’s Two-Dimensional Political Space in Comparative Perspective.

In order to characterize a dimension structuring certain party systems, intra-party differences, and candidate political strategies, this paper introduces the concepts of high and low in politics. Together, they form the poles of an axis, or scale, in politics. In contrast to the otherwise useful dimensions developed by Kitschelt or Inglehart, the high-low dimension is in fact orthogonal, or fully neutral, with regard to the left-right spectrum, while also associated with societal inequality. Moreover, high and low appeals are an important part of political campaigning and spatial strategies on the part of political actors. Just like left and right (or liberal and conservative in the U.S.), high and low can easily be integrated into the type of methodology prevalent in the field of political behavior, electoral studies, and campaign analysis. Finally, high and low are political terms that travel particularly well cross-regionally. Conceptually, the paper provides a thorough definition of the left-right axis, which is made up of two sub-dimensions. Similarly, the high-low axis is also comprised of two sub-dimensions. The definition of the low in politics is at the same time particularly useful for making sense, in a clear and intuitive fashion, of the contested concept of populism, while doing justice to various standpoints in that polemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]