Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs
Comparative Politics/International Relations presents
Power Sharing and Authoritarian Stability:
Evidence from Rebel Regimes
Co-Authored with Anne Meng, University of Virginia
Jack Paine is an associate professor of political
science at the University of Rochester. His research focuses on
authoritarian politics, democratization, and civil war. These themes
motivate the paper he will present, “Power Sharing and Authoritarian Stability:
Evidence from Rebel Regimes.” This paper addresses the age-old dilemma
that dictators face when they are reliant on their military to gain and
maintain power. Although the military potentially serves as a prop to
authoritarian rule, it also poses a grave threat to displace the ruler,
and instead to rule itself. Given this problem, it is surprising that
regimes that gain power by winning a civil war—rebel regimes—tend to be
more durable than other authoritarian regimes. Analyzing data from
post-colonial Africa, the paper explains the central role for sharing
power with military elites. Because leaders of rebel regimes reshaped
their military during the conflict to gain power, sharing power can
credibly distribute spoils among elites while posing a relatively low risk
of overthrow by regime insiders.
Jack Paine
Associate Professor
University of Rochester
For more information or to request additional accommodation arrangements, please contact Simon Weschle, swweschl@syr.edu or Dan McDowell dmcdowel@syr.edu.