Crises and Co-Optation in Authoritarian Regimes

• In Event: The Political Economy of Autocracy

Brief Overview

Dictators co-opt opponents to reduce threats to their survival, but co-optation also empowers opposition parties to challenge the regime--especially in times of crisis when leaders are weakened. I present a formal model to illustrate these risks.

Author

• Bryce Hecht, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill