Nondemocratic rule ch6

nondemocratic rule

-A small group of individuals exercises power

-No constitutional responsibility to public

-No popular right to choose leaders

- Limit, to varying degrees, other public rights

-Ideology may or may not play a role (personalistic,

military, religious etc.)

Totalitarianism

seeks to transform total fabric of society through a ‘totalist’ ideology/approach (rare). Almost inevitable use of force to break people, shatter institutions (violence central)

Ex of totalitarianism

-Soviet Union under Stalin, 1930-1950s

-Hitler, Nazi Germany, 1930s-1945

-China, Cultural Revolution 1960s

-North Korea

-But not Iraq under Saddam Hussein

Elites and nondemocratic rule

-Elites in highly unequal societies often reinforce non-democratic structures incentivizing elites to

maintain power and resources

-State can become a tool to siphon off resources and to keep power consolidated (kleptocracy)

-“Resource trap” (resource curse)

nondemocratic regimes tend to have

weaker civil society. The more authoritarian the regime the lower civil society

(repression is negatively correlated w/civil society) May be a result of leaders’ actions to remove civic groups (cooptation) to consolidate control

Democracy as a western product

-Christianity

-Secularism

-Individualism

-National identity and nation-state

what contributes to nondemocratic rule

war, occupation, imperialism

Outcomes of war detrimental to devleopment of democracy:

-Poorly drawn borders

-Uneven modernization

-Weak autonomy and capacity

-International support for nondemocratic regimes

Coercion and surveillance

-Observation, use of force against people, Secret police

-Targeted harassment, torture, killings, widespread purges

-Inculcation of fear necessary—atomize population

cooptation

the process of absorbing, assimilating, or taking over a person, group, or idea into a larger, established body to mitigate opposition and maintain stability

corporatism (cooptation)

-Limited number of state-sanctioned organizations

-No private organizations allowed

-Organizations connected directly to state

clientelism (cooptation)

-Less structured method

- Public exchanges political support for specific favors or benefits

-Rent-Seeking: parts of state “rented out” to supporters

kleptocracy

rule by theft

Personality cults

Promotion of image of leader above mortal qualities

- Extraordinary wisdom and power, quasi-religious qualities

- Use of media to portray this image

Legitimacy

Non-democratic rule depends on both carrots and sticks

Can it then be legitimate?

 Yes—charisma (Mao)

 Yes—tradition (monarchs)

 Yes—rationality (rule by unelected “experts”)

Models of nondemocratic rule, personal and monarchical rule

-Claim that one person alone is fit to rule the country

-Ruler not subject of the state (but rather its protector or embodiment)

-Often justified through charismatic or traditional legitimacy (cult of personality)

Patrimonialism

ruler depends on collection of supporters in the state who gain direct benefits from that rule (ethnic groups, clans, religious groups etc.)

military rule

-Military seizes control of state: coup d’etat

-Often justified as a temporary move (instability)

-Often lacks a specific ideology

beaurecratic authoritarianism

state bureaucracy and military support “rational” authoritarian rule as opposed to “emotional” democracy

one party rule

-Single political party monopolizes power, and other parties banned or excluded from power (formally or informally)

-Party incorporates people into politics, though still a minority—cooptation primary feature of system

- Party control extends into community (cells)

-Benefits given to party members in return for support (may be small or large group)

- Leadership uses the party to mobilize and spread propaganda as needed

theocracy

Rule by God,”

-Faith is the foundation for the political regime

-Such a regime can be founded on any number of faiths (and has been across history)

-Often the goal of fundamentalists

-Very difficult to achieve and comparatively rare

-Iran as a (weak) example of theocracy in practice

illiberal/hybrid regimes

-Possess democratic mechanisms, but weakly institutionalized

-Executives typically hold tremendous power

- Democratic processes not well respected

-Subject to sudden changes, arbitrary withdrawal

-Media under state control

-State institutions under direct control of government (politicized)

-Often considered a “Halfway house”—will become more democratic over time – but not necessarily

is nondemocratic rule in retreat

-Expectation over much of past century that democracy had failed

-Opposite has taken place

-Dramatic expansion of democracy, especially in past two decades

-The future is less clear…democratic erosion