Was it worth the trouble? Limited competition and citizen well-being under authoritarian rule

Bibliographic Data

ID6277283
AuthorsAndrea Cassani (0000-0002-5523-0327, University of Milan, corresponding author)
Year2016
Volume46
Issue1
Pages93-113
Publication date2016-03-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueItalian Political Science Review/Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0048-8402 • E-ISSN: 2057-4908
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/ipo.2015.27
OpenAlexW2560091438
LanguageEN
References cited68

The last part of 20th century saw the collapse of a dramatic number of dictatorships. Rather than democracy, several of these transitions brought regimes where limited political competition coexists with persistently authoritarian practices. The diffusion of this form of authoritarianism in the developing world raises several questions about its broader consequences. Most importantly, does political change short of democratization matter for ordinary citizens? Recent research demonstrates that nominally democratic institutions, even in the absence of people empowerment, can result in better living conditions. The paper adds to this debate by formulating and testing new hypotheses. I compare electoral authoritarianism with democracy and full dictatorship, including specific subtypes of the latter, and focus on both policy outputs and outcomes

Authoritarianism · Competition (biology · Democracy · Democratization · Dictatorship · Economic system · Economics · Empowerment · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Culture, Economy, and Development Studies · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Social Policy and Reform Studies

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