Based on current literature, this paper analyses the nature and effects of external pressure imposed on authoritarian regimes. Around three-quarters of all countries under United Nations, United States, and European Union sanctions are authoritarian, and “democracy sanctions” that aim at...

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) face mounting challenges, especially in authoritarian states, where they encounter closures, persecution and smear campaigns. Consequently, their crucial work in advancing human rights, good governance and inclusive...

In this paper we examine the legacies on civil society of routine repressive activities carried out by authoritarian regimes, such as the targeting of opposition organizations. We focus on participation in voluntary associations in post-authoritarian Spain. We hypothesize that while repression...

Analysis of the growth patterns in the global South in the 21st century suggests there is room for authoritarian states to search for new growth models. Authoritarian states, such as Turkey and Egypt, benefited from global financial circumstances in the early 21st century and opted for new...

The two-term limit norm for presidents has protected US democracy for 235 years against autocratic entrenchment but has failed to do so in many other countries. These failures call for a new measure, reducing incumbency advantages in reelection contests by setting super-majority thresholds for...

We replicate the analysis conducted by Frederiksen, 2022a. We focus on assessing the computational and robustness replicability of their work. We find that their main exhibits and supplementary analysis are replicable, both when running their original Stata replication package, and when we...

We analyze media repression in Putin's Russia (2004-2019), a smart dictatorship that mimics democratic institutions, notably relatively free elections, and a relatively free press. Drawing on a unique granular dataset on journalist harassment and the pre-determined, staggered timing of local...

We study the selection of the political elite in an autocratic state. Using detailed CV data on potential politicians in the German Democratic Republic, we track and quantify the position of individuals in the state hierarchy over time and exploit exogenous connections between individuals that...

Sowohl der Aufstieg Chinas als auch der Angriff Russlands auf die Ukraine haben gezeigt, dass wirtschaftliche Offenheit auch Abhängigkeiten schaffen kann, die für geopolitische Ziele genutzt werden. Ein vermehrter Einsatz von Handelsbeschränkungen und Sanktionen kann beobachtet werden. Dabei...

The fine balance between prevention of minority shareholder rights and the independent will of the majority shareholders to run the company they majorly hold is largely dependent on the securities enforcement agencies of the country. In India, The SEBI has engaged in minority protections at the...

Most studies find that larger government is associated with slower long-run growth. However, which elements of government intervention drive the result and if the conclusion applies to all political regimes remains an open question, which this paper addresses. The findings indicate that...

With the help of the concept of linkage and leverage, this paper aims at exploring how the relative influence of international actors (namely the European Union (EU) and Russia) can explain the persistence of the authoritarian regime in Belarus. The findings suggest that in the background of the...

Political budget cycles (PBCs) in western democracies have been extensively examined. Yet, few studies have explored whether there exists a local political budget cycle under authoritarian regimes. This research attempt to address this important question by investigating local cases in China....

This paper probes the persuasive power of authoritarian propaganda on social media and compares it to a similar campaign by the opposition. We carried out a field experiment during the 2018 presidential elections in Russia by collecting voting intentions and then randomly advertising a pro- and...

Many, if not most, personalistic dictatorships end up with a disastrous decision such as Hitler’s attack on the Soviet Union, Hirohito’s government launching a war against the United States, or Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Even if the decision is not ultimately fatal for...

Authoritarian leaders frequently send mixed messages about law. While official rhetoric typically emphasizes obeying law, leaders have proven willing to sidestep the law when it proves inconvenient. We explore the impact of this duality on the attitudes of Russian citizens, drawing on three...

The COVID-19 pandemic increased pressure on the relationship between governments and the public, making cooperation between both actors more critical than ever. Surprisingly, there is significant variation in public compliance with health policies, especially regarding vaccine uptake across...

This article examines the complex relationship between right-wing authoritarianism and neoliberalism in India. It explores the consequences of the right-wing authoritarian electoral majority and its alliance with neoliberal forces on democracy, economic development and distributive justice in...

The rise of right-wing populism, particularly Trumpism, has presented a daunting challenge to democracy. We explore the historical roots of Trumpism among the Chinese diaspora. We collect nearly one million tweets posted by approximately 250 Chinese overseas opinion leaders from 2019 to early...

A significant part of economic coercion deployed by the US, EU and the UN targets authoritarian regimes' ruling elites, and aims to promote liberalization by encouraging defections and discouraging repression. We develop a model to study the effects of such measures. The ruler chooses how much...

Despite a recent surge in the academic literature on central bank independence (CBI), little is known about its drivers in authoritarian states. Our theoretical argument starts from the simple idea that no country is an island. Whereas autocratic regimes possessing abundant resource wealth have...

This short essay explains why deeply embedding international law (IL) directly into domestic legal orders is seen as a helpful democratic legal strategy to make international law more effective. It also describes the logistics of embedding international law into national legal systems. The goal...

This paper argues that for the imposer of a regime change or war, installing an authoritarian regime is one of the best ways to impose the political will on the target. Previous scholarships contend that an absolute win and a total resolution is likely to neutralize the vanquished party from its...

Tanzania received significant global attention for its COVID-19 response during the first year of the pandemic. It did not share pandemic statistics, require masks, implement lockdowns, or close borders; it questioned testing and vaccine efficacy; and it emphasized traditional medicines as a...

Although many virtuous leaders are guided by the ideal of prioritizing the need and welfare of their subordinates, others advance their self-interest at the expense of the people they purport to serve. In this article, we discuss the relationship between leadership and the spread of conspiracy...

Unlike Latin American peers, and contrary to World Health Organization recommendations, Nicaragua eschewed lockdowns and other common strategies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Analysts have since demonstrated how Nicaraguan authorities dramatically under-reported the number of deaths and...

We explore the effect of oil import price shocks on political outcomes using a worldwide dataset on elections of chief executives. Oil import price shocks cause a reduction in the odds of reelection of incumbents, an increase in media chatter about fuel prices, and an increase in non-violent...

With the rise of illiberal democracy, the legality as a traditional component of Western legalism has become increasingly important for authoritarian regimes. This is “authoritarian legality” which has been briefly defined as ‘legal norms of authoritarian states and the process in which...

Authoritarian regimes are often seen to be hostile toward the environment, albeit there is a growing body of literature suggesting a more nuanced image when it comes to authoritarian governments and the environment. However, several aspects of human-nature relationship need further clarification...

This study analyses a mechanism to explain how internal mobility in the dominant party enhances authoritarian resilience. We argue that authoritarian leaders incentivize their political agents to advance economic development by using age-based promotion and retirement rules. We empirically...

Energy megaprojects have enormous impacts on society, the environment and political systems. The global decline of democratic norms in the last decade has important implications for the development of energy megaprojects, which have not been systematically examined in extant literature. This...