(Transnational) private actors have a significant role in ‘global governance’. But their influence varies significantly, both across time and issues. The major challenge for theorizing about non-state actors in world politics is not only to demonstrate that they matter but explain where,...

The aim of the paper is twofold. On the one hand, it proposes a conjunctural theory for the stability (and change) of autocratic regimes that is based on three interdependent pillars: legitimation, repression and co-optation. It is argued that these three pillars provide an autocracy with vital...