Partisan Conflict Index
The Partisan Conflict Index tracks the degree of political disagreement among U.S. federal lawmakers by measuring the frequency of newspaper articles reporting disagreement in a given month. Higher index values indicate greater conflict among political parties, Congress, and the President.
The index was developed by Marina Azzimonti, a Senior Economist and Research Advisor at the Richmond Fed.
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Download DataMore About the Data Series
The index builds on Marina Azzimonti's research. Partisan conflict rises around elections and during debates over contentious policies, such as the debt ceiling and health-care reform. Her work suggests that heightened partisan conflict raises uncertainty among firms and households, which in turn slows economic activity by delaying business investment and consumer spending.
When is the Partisan Conflict Index updated?
The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond will update the Partisan Conflict Index monthly, allowing researchers to track how it responds to salient policy debates and its effect on the economy.
How is the Partisan Conflict Index calculated?
To calculate each month's index value, keyword searches are conducted on major U.S. newspapers, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and The Wall Street Journal.
Additional Resources
Additional analysis is available in Azzimonti, Marina (2018), "Partisan Conflict and Private Investment," Journal of Monetary Economics 93, pp. 113-131.
Azzimonti, Marina. "Does partisan conflict deter FDI inflows to the US?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120, pages 162-178, September 2019.
Azzimonti, Marina. "Partisan Conflict in the U.S. and Potential Impacts on the Economy." Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Economic Brief, No. 23-20, June 2023.
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