Week 4

Question 1

What is an example of an autocracy that has high power sharing?

Answer 1

A Contested Authority

Question 2

What is a contested authority?

Answer 2

An Authority where power is balanced between the leader and the ruling coalition. The inner circle have a credible threat to remove the leader

Question 3

What are the two scenarios where power sharing is low in an autocracy?

Answer 3

Established Autocracy and Personalist Dictatorship

Question 4

What is the defining factor of an established autocracy or a personalist dictatorship

Answer 4

The power is concentrated on the dictator, who has a monopoly on violence. The ruling coalition pose no threat.

Question 5

What are the interests of the inner circle in a dictatorship?

Answer 5

Maintain the Regime and to gain more relative power

Question 6

What are the interests of the dictator in a dictatorship?

Answer 6

Maintain the Regime and to gain more relative power?

Question 7

Why aren’t autocracies unitary actors?

Answer 7

Because the interests of the dictator and the interests of the inner circle are counter to each other. They both wants more power.

Question 8

What are the two types of strategic interaction in an autocratic regime?

Answer 8

Cooperative effort and non-cooperative effort?

Question 9

What are the aims of a cooperative effort in autocratic regimes?

Answer 9

to keep everyone in power in the autocratic regime

Question 10

What are the aims of a non-cooperative effort in autocratic regimes?

Answer 10

to increase individual power and to cut other out of power

Question 11

How do autocracies keep a dictator inline?

Answer 11

By maintaining power within the inner circle in order to be a threat to the dictator

Question 12

Why does the dictator automatically have more power than the inner circle?

Answer 12

Because a dictator has agenda setting power and control over resources

Question 13

How can the dictator increase their amount of power?

Answer 13

By cutting out individuals in the inner circle and by reducing the amount of power shared

Question 14

How does a dictator convince members of the inner circle to give them power?

Answer 14

By promising to give them power once they take power

Question 15

Why don’t inner circle members rebel against the dictator if they renege their promises?

Answer 15

Because taking out a dictator is risky and costly

Question 16

Why would a dictator renege their initial promises to the inner circle?

Answer 16

They now have power, they want to increase their own power

Question 17

Why would the dictator comply with their initial promises?

Answer 17

Because it develops trust between the dictator and the inner circle / can lull the inner circle into a false sense of security

Question 18

When is the threat from the inner circle most credible to the dictator?

Answer 18

When the inner circle is organised and unified

Question 19

How does factionalism impact the bargaining between the dictator and the inner circle?

Answer 19

High factionalism allows the dictator to bargain with groups separately and it reduces the threat to the dictator

Question 20

How does personalism impact the length of a first dictators power?

Answer 20

The higher the personalism, the more stable a dictator is and thus they stay in power longer

Question 21

How does a subsequent leader in a regime fair compared to the initial dictator?

Answer 21

the subsequent leader is less stable and benefits less from personalism