Stabilizing Autocracies: The Role of International Organizations

• In Event: International Cooperation and Democratic Backsliding

Abstract

Early work on the international influences on democracy and human rights suggested positive effects: under certain circumstances, membership in IOs could contribute to the consolidation of democratic rule and an improvement in human rights. Recently, however, attention is being paid to how authoritarian regimes can collude to immunize themselves against external influences; such regimes may even engage in “autocracy promotion.” Drawing on a dataset covering the postwar period, this paper tests for the effects of IO membership on the stability of authoritarian rule. We find that membership in less democratic IOs has adverse effects for democracy, in effect stabilizing autocratic rule.

Authors

• Christina Cottiero, University of California, San Diego

• Stephan Haggard, University of California, San Diego