Comparative Authoritarianism

This seminar examines the sources of authoritarian resilience in the era of democracy. While some authoritarian regimes are ruled by predation and coercion, others have developed sophisticated mechanisms to maintain economic performance, electoral dominance and social order without coercion. Drawing from Comparative Politics and democratization literature, this reading and discussion advanced seminar will explore the different types of authoritarian regimes, causes of their rise, persistence and breakdown. Course content includes examining the role of the dictator, party organization, strategies of information control, sources of compliance and resistance in the post-cold war cases from Asia, the Middle-East and Sub-Sahara Africa.