Political Science New Authoritarianism

Tags: democracy communism political science political culture government china russia economic development stability north korea empirical evidence authoritarianism

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Problem/Puzzle

Krastev (2011) is perplexed by the stability and longevity of authoritarian regimes in the “age of democratication,” (p. 7).

Main Argument

The “new authoritarianism,” or the “user-friendly” version of authoritarianism is compelling and attractive (Krastev, 2011, p. 7). Russia is actually a good springboard for discussing the new authoritarianism because it represents some of its key features, within a historically relevant framework. Russia’s authoritarian regime is also paradoxical in that it has appropriated some of the most salient democratic institutions.

Theories & Concepts

Krastev (2011) relies heavily on Seymour Martin Lipset’s theories of democracy, political culture, and economic development.

Empirical Evidence

The author provides evidence from other political theorists including Jason Brownlee, Steven Levitsky, and Lucan Way (p. 11), and also cites Jeane Kirkpatrick’s 1979 classic “Dictatorships and Double Standards,” (p. 12).

Structure

Ideology, or a relative lack thereof, is one of the features of the new authoritarianism. Also, the new authoritarianism thrives off blending democracy and authoritarian elements.

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Interactions

Actors in new authoritarian regimes deftly deal with structures by manipulating key institutions to serve strategic ends.

Actors

Initiators of the new authoritarianism like Gorbachev “started his reforms not because he had lost faith in communism, but because he remained a true believer,” (p. 12).

Surprising Insights

The entire premise is fascinating, as I never would have considered the new authoritarianism as a blend between democratic institutions and authoritarian governance models. The lack of ideology is the key to understanding the new authoritarianism.

Critique/Questions

It would be interesting to see a more extended case study, of a country like China or Russia, but also to see how North Korea fits into the schema. North Korea may resemble more the old authoritarianism in that it could be unstable.

Connections

The United States may be ironically shifting towards the….....

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References

Krastev, I. (2011). Paradoxes of the new authoritarianism. Journal of Democracy 22(2): April 2011.

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https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/political-science-new-authoritarianism-essay
   

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