4: Why do Authoritarian Regimes vary so much?

Question 1

stationary bandit’s view of dictatorships

Answer 1

bandit that robs people and say that they will protect the state in exchange for money

potential exchange of services with a sense that you are not given the choice to accept ‘protection’

monopoly of theft over subjects at a given rate of taxation

Question 2

problem of authoritarian power-sharing

Answer 2

dictators need to protect themselves against challenges from those with whom they share power

Question 3

problem of authoritarian control

Answer 3

dictators need to protect themselves from the threat of revolution (the people in general)

Question 4

3 dismal features of authoritarian politics

Answer 4

1. lack of independent authority to enforce agreements
   - no credible commitments between people who decide to rule together
2. violence as the ultimate arbitrer of conflicts
   - direct violence and repression if there is no agreement on who is a ruler or how to create credible commitments (in democracy there are elections)
3. information is scarce and asymmetric

Question 5

informational autocracies

Answer 5

informational autocrats artificially boost their popularity by convincing the public they are competent

they tend to use propaganda and silence informed members of the elite by co-optation (divide and conquer members of the opposition) or censorship

Question 6

how do informational autocrats manipulate information in order to stay in power?

Answer 6

media, propaganda and censorship as the most cost-effective tools of domination in a globalised environment

some invest a lot in polling, political consultants, etc.

effectively manipulated information can use democratic institutions to demonstrate a dictator’s popularity

Question 7

how do informational autocrats manipulate elections in order to stay in power?

Answer 7

idea of hegemonic electoral regimes, elections with some competition and elections where only one party can run but elections determine who wins in the party

dictators use electoral manipulation to manage the trade-off between the potential of signalling strength compared to the risk of appearing weak by having too narrow a margin of victory - how much manipulation can there be?

elections also are used as an informational provision to make it easier for the dictator to bargain and to stay in power