Virtual icon Political Patronage and Autocratisation

Abstract

What mechanisms drive the advancement of autocratic projects? This lecture explores the role of political patronage – the power of politicians to appoint loyalists and dismiss political enemies within the state – in autocratisation. Drawing on insights from the role of patronage in democratic settings, this lecture explores how patronage functions outside the limits of democratic government. It argues that patronage is a key strategy through which autocratising leaders initiate and entrench democratic regression. The lecture contributes to our understanding of autocratisation, currently one of the most important global political trends, evident in the decline of democratic quality in established democracies, and the rise of hybrid regimes and closed autocracies.