Exploring Strategic Coalitions among Heterogenous Regime Elites

• In Event: Weakening Autocracy: Internal and External Opposition Forces in Dictatorships

Abstract

When faced with a power-hungry dictator attempting to consolidate his own power, the forward-thinking elites of the regime ought to band together to protect their positions. Empirically, however, this does not appear to be the case. Why do regime elites fail to work together to counter the dictator, even joining the dictator against their colleagues? I formalize a dictator’s attempt to consolidate his power by sequentially eliminating elites in order to explore the consequences of heterogeneity and commitment problems amongst regime insiders. The conclusions I derive have broad implications beyond authoritarian consolidation, including the problems that contests under uncertainty and commitment pose for coalition formation generally.

Author

• Allison Cuttner, Emory University