This chapter examines contemporary labor-management relations in autocratic regimes, drawing on two sets of countries, namely transitional peripheral economies in Central Asia (Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) and hierarchical market economies in Latin America (Colombia and Honduras), for analysis....

Populism is no longer considered a disease of the developing world. In recent decades it has spread throughout Europe and North America, while maintaining its grip in its historical stronghold, Latin America. It now represents the biggest threat to the survival of liberal democracy. Unlike...

One decade after the Arab uprisings of 2010/11, the present discussion paper revisits processes of political change in the Middle East and North Africa MENA) with a focus on the question of systemic change. Core questions in this context are: How, among all possible varieties of political...

This paper theoretically and empirically investigates the effect of natural resource rents on the process of economic liberalization and a potential moderating effect of the level of democracy. A simple political-economic model is developed in which the government in an autocratic country faces...

The origins of fiscal capacity have traditionally been linked to warfare and democratization. However, non-democratic states also invest in fiscal capacity, even in times of peace. In fact, the majority of income taxes-a cornerstone of government finance-were introduced by non-democratic states...

We analyze a model of moral hazard in local public services which could be efficiently managed by officials under local democratic accountability, but not by officials who are appointed by the ruler of a centralized autocracy. The ruler might prefer to retain an official who diverted resources...

Social science, like all other sciences, is supposed to explore the substance below the surface of things. However, populism discourse in general is stuck on the surface, focusing on style, outlook and appearance.

Die Corona-Maßnahmen der Bundes- und Landesregierungen haben das öffentliche Leben in Deutschland zeitweise massiv beeinträchtigt. Durch das Kontaktverbot wurden die freie Berufsausübung, die Gewerbefreiheit, die Schulpflicht und die Religionsfreiheit vorübergehend eingeschränkt....

We develop a theory to explain the persistence of tensions between decentralized delegation and centralized control of environmental governance in authoritarian regimes. Economic benefits from decentralization – information, competition, and efficiency – conflict with environmental goals of...

We discuss the contribution of autocratic tendencies in democratically elected political leaders to the economic growth of developed economies. To this end, we exploit the unique election of Sir Charles Court as state premier of Western Australia in 1975 to estimate the contribution of...

"In the rich and growing body of work on democracy, there has been little attention to the connection between democracy and migration; and when there is, it is usually in connection with countries that see in-migration rather than out-migration. The latter is the focus of this book, which looks...

Coups and regime transitions are events that typically are intended to change the basic institutional framework of a country. Which specific policies change and the consequences of these changes nevertheless remains largely unknown. Change after a coup or transition implies that some form of...

Autocracies in developing countries are more likely to collapse during economic crises. Some influential works and popular media extend this argument to oil-rich autocracies, but cross-national empirical studies find little evidence to support this view. Yet, while the causes of their stability...

Despite a large consensus among economists on the strong interdependence and synergy between pro-development institutions, how should one understand why Imperial China, with weaker rule of law and property rights, gave the commoners more opportunities to access elite status than Premodern...

Klappentext: Die Bewunderung für den schnellen Aufstieg Chinas innerhalb der globalen Wirtschaftsordnung weicht in westlichen Ländern zunehmend der Sorge vor einer autoritären Weltmacht. Heribert Dieter zeigt, wie China die Rolle der "Werkbank" überwunden hat und zunehmend...

Can frontier innovation be sustained under autocracy? We argue that innovation and autocracy can be mutually reinforcing when: (i) the new technology bolsters the autocrat's power; and (ii) the autocrat's demand for the technology stimulates further innovation in applications beyond those...

From Alexander II to Gorbatchev: The Economic History of Modern Russia -- Post-Soviet Industrial Policy: From the Red Directors to the new State Oligarchs -- Putin’s Autocracy: Silosoviki Rule and their Kleptocracy -- Putin’s Budget Policies -- The Russian Petro-State -- The Liberalization...

Vorwort -- 1. Trojanische Verhältnisse?- 2. Seidenstraße - Chance oder Risiko für Europa?- 3. Wer das 21. Jahrhundert verstehen will, muss China verstehen -- 4. China Forum Tübingen – Ein Modellprojekt zur China-Kompetenz -- 5. Wirklichkeit und Illusion -- 6. The Geographical...

This book sheds new light on the political economy of Russia under Putin's rule. The author, a former EU diplomat, presents a historical review of the Russian economy and 60 years of state-communist mismanagement, followed by oligarchic privatization. The book offers profound insights into...

I examine whether transitory events can tip the scales against authoritarian regimes and lead to persistent democratization. I think of situations where this is a possibility as democratic tipping points. The transitory events I focus on are rainfall shocks in the most agricultural countries in...