Authoritarian Politics Lecture 4: Power Concentration and Personalization

Question 1

If dictators are so dependent on their allies in the inner circle - how do they consolidate their power? Why are they not stopped from becoming more and more powerful?

Answer 1

It is the result of the problems and dilemmas inherent in authoritarian power sharing.
- And again, the likely outcomes of bargains over power sharing are shaped by features of the seizure group.

Question 2

what are the problems and dilemmas inherent in authoritarian power sharing.

Answer 2

arise from the key features of authoritarian politics, i.e. the lack of credible institutional enforcement of commitments and the constant threat of resolving conflict with violence.

Question 3

More Power sharing in Autocracies

Answer 3

Contested Autocracy:
- Balance between leader and ruling coalition
- Credible threat to remove leader

Question 3

Less Power sharing in Autocracies

Answer 3

Established Autocrats:
- monopoly of power
- credible threat to remove leader
Personalist Dictatorship

Question 4

Are autocracies unitary actors?

Answer 4

no.
- member vs member within seizure group/inner circle
- inner circle v dictator

Question 5

What are the Dictators Interests

Answer 5

• maintain autocratic regime
• gain more relative power

Question 6

What are the interests of the members of the inner circle

Answer 6

• maintain the autocratic regime
• gain more relative power

Question 7

What are the two kinds of strategic interactions?

Answer 7

a. cooperative effort to keep everyone (in the autocratic regime) in power
b. non-cooperative effort to increase individual power and resources at the expense of others

Question 8

What are Problems in Authoritarian Power sharing

Answer 8

1. Choosing a leader
2. Bargaining over distribution of resources and power

Question 9

What is the problem with choosing a leader

Answer 9

• to govern, seizure groups must select a leader (dictator)
• the problem: is how to control the leader and credibly commit him to deliver to the group
• since there are no formal institutions (yet) credible threat to remove the dictator is the only possibility
• but the actual removal is uncertain and costly

Question 10

How does a newly elected dictator change?

Answer 10

• he was ‘first among equals’, but now has agenda-setting power and control over resources
• since there are no formal institutions (yet) the promises he makes are not credible
• without trust he must increase his relative power at the expense of (some of) his allies

Question 11

What is the problem with Bargaining over distribution of resources and power

Answer 11

Assuming a dictator could credibly share power, how much does he need to share to stay in power?

Question 12

What are two ways a dictator can reduce shared amount of power

Answer 12

1. reduce the number of supporters in the inner circle
2. reduce the amount shared, without reducing the numer of supporters
   (think pizza)

Question 13

Strategic interactions depends on

Answer 13

the characteristics of the seizure group: threats are more credible when the seizure group is disciplined and unified

Question 13

what are two ways in which unity/factionalsim affect bargaining and power sharing

Answer 13

1. dictator can bargain separately with different factions, which weakens their bargaining position
2. factionalism reduces the credibility of threats to the dictator

Question 14

When we see less power sharing we should see (wrt personalism and seizure groups)

Answer 14

more personalism and seizure groups are more fractionalized

Question 15

Patterns of personalism effects

Answer 15

look back at graphs

Question 16

The emergence of personalist authoritarian regimes is the logical result of

Answer 16

problems and dilemmas inherent in authoritarian power sharing

Question 17

What key feature of seizure groups shape the likely outcome of power sharing

Answer 17

the seizure group unity vs factionalism