Wk. 8: Authoritarianism and Authoritarian Persistence

Authoritarianism

Rule by an exclusive political oligarchy.

Monarchical dictatorship

Regime lead by monarch who served as head of state and head of government. (Saudi Arabia)

Military dictatorship

Regime lead military officials (typically following a coup). (Egypt)

Dominant party dictatorship

Regime lead by dominant party that always wins elections. (China)

Personalistic dictatorship

Regime in which all power lies with a single individual, typically with a cult of personality. (North Korea)

Problem of authoritarian power sharing

The problem faced by authoritarian leaders, of working out ways of sharing power with other members of the leadership group to retain their support and avoid being overthrown through violent and non-constitutional means.

Problem of authoritarian control

The problem faced by authoritarian rulers of how to counter challenges from the masses of the population, and keep them supportive and acquiescent.

Coercive apparatus

State's capacity to ability to control, mobilize, and intimidate population. Military, police, intelligence agencies, etc.

Muhkabarat

The Iraqui Intelligence Service. Example of coercive apparatus.

Preference falsification

The act of communicating a preference that differs from one's true preference, often because one believes the conveyed preference is more acceptable socially.

Rentier State

A state which derives all or a substantial portion of its national revenues from the rent paid by foreign individuals, concerns or governments.

Chinese Communist Party

The ruling party in China organized and led by Mao Zedong.

Performance legitimacy

Legitimacy based on accomplishment of concrete goals (ex. GDP growth or matriculation rates).

Consultative authoritarianism

A political system in which policy-making is highly centralized, criticism of policy and the policy-making process is not tolerated, and there is no democratic accountability for policy decisions; nonetheless, policy-makers consult broadly with the public and with experts before making policy (ex. China's online forums for citizens to "give feedback").

Xi Jinping

Current president of China; rapidly becoming more authoritarian.