Much of human history took place under authoritarian rule. Even today, many authoritarian governments play important roles on the world stage. This course is designed to examine various important aspects in authoritarian regimes: their differences with democracies, why they emerge and break down, how they deal with challenges of leadership change, what institutions they adopt, why some dictatorships fail to create economic growth but some can, and the theories that explain these outcomes. During the course, we will use contemporary events, historical case studies, and statistical data to examine real-world cases. The goals of this course are to introduce students to the systematic study of authoritarian politics; to deepen their understanding of political changes, dynamics, and developments in non-democracies; and ultimately to help them critically assess theories about authoritarian politics and to engage in independent analysis of dictatorships in their academic or professional careers.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Critically evaluate key theories about authoritarian politics;
- Analyze and compare evidence-based research from political science, economics, and history on authoritarian regimes;
- Express a high level of mastery of authoritarian politics in written and oral forms;
- Engage in critical theoretical and evidence-based discussion on authoritarian politics from a comparative perspective;
- Be able to apply contending comparative theories on authoritarianism to historical and contemporary cases.
Other Information
We live in an era with strong authoritarian and illiberal headwinds. This course not only examines these trends, but also provides a theoretical framework for understanding differences in authoritarian regimes both across history and across regions of the world.
Indicative Assessment
- Class Participation (10) [LO 3,4,5]
- Oral Presentation of a Self-selected Piece of Reading (10) [LO 1,2,3]
- Short Essay (Book review related to authoritarian politics) (20) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Oral Presentation: a case study about key political institutions in an authoritarian regime (20) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Long Research Essay (A Research Paper) (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
Workload is approximately 120 hours consisting of 12 x 3 hour seminars; 4 hours weekly reading and preparation for seminars; 4 hours weekly reading and preparation for research essays. There are two oral presentations, one mid-term short essay, and one final long essay.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Prescribed Texts
Svolik, Milan W. 2012. The Politics of Authoritarian Rule. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Preliminary Reading
Przeworski, Adam, Michael E. Alvarez, Jose Antonio Cheibub, and Fernando Limongi. 2000. Democracy and Development: Political Institutions and Well-Being in the World, 1950-1990. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Acemoglu, Daron and James A. Robinson. 2005. Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Bueno de Mesquita, Bruce, Alastair Smith, Randolph M. Siverson, and James D. Morrow. 2003. The Logic of Political Survival. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Brooker, Paul. 2000. Non-democratic Regimes: Theory, Government, and Politics. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Kuran, Timur. 1991. Now Out of Never: The Element of Surprise in the East European Revolution of 1989. World Politics, 44:7–48.
Gandhi, Jennifer. 2008. Political Institutions under Dictatorship. New York: Cambridge University Press.
North, Douglass C. and Weingast, Barry R. 1989. Constitutions and commitment: The evolution of institutions governing public choice in seventeenth-century england. Journal of Economic History, 49(4):803–832.
Olson, Mancur. 1993. Dictatorship, Democracy, and Development. American Political Science Review, 87:567–576.
Levitsky, Steven and Lucan Way. 2010. Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Larry Diamond, “Thinking about Hybrid Regimes,” Journal of Democracy, Vol. 13, no. 2 (April 2002), pp. 21-35.
Geddes, Barbara. 1999. What do we know about democratization after twenty years?. Annual review of political science, 2(1), 115-144.
Magaloni, Beatriz. 2008. Voting for Autocracy: Hegemonic Party Survival and its Demise in Mexico. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Malesky, Edmund, and Paul Schuler. 2010. “Nodding or Needling: Analyzing Delegate Responsiveness in an Authoritarian Parliament.” American Political Science Review 104 (3): 1–21.
Chenggang Xu. 2011. “The Fundamental Institutions of China’s Reforms and Development,” The Journal of Economic Literature, 49:4, 1076-1151
Assumed Knowledge
Knowledge of quantitative data analysis is recommended but not required.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $4320 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $6180 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7094 | 24 Jul 2023 | 31 Jul 2023 | 31 Aug 2023 | 27 Oct 2023 | In Person | View |
