Some authoritarian regimes disperse power more widely than others. How can comparativists determine “who rules” and what limits executive power in an authoritarian regime?
Authoritarian regimes come in several different subtypes: military, one-party, theocratic, personalist, and electoral authoritarian. In what ways do differences across these subtypes explain differences in leaders’ actions, levels of repression, and types of popular participation?
Why is clientelism so prevalent and important in authoritarian regimes? In what types of authoritarian regimes does it seem most important, and what might explain this?
Some authoritarian regimes allow at least some institutionalized limits on rulers’ power. What explains where and why this happens, or doesn’t happen?
