Elections, Legitimacy, and Compliance in Authoritarian Regimes: Evidence from the Arab World.
Democratization
Elections have been theorized to bolster compliance with authoritarian regimes by strengthening their ability to co-opt, their coercive capacity, and their legitimacy. While a growing body of research demonstrates the co-optive and coercive functions of these elections, there is little systematic empirical evidence regarding elections' contributions to the legitimacy of autocrats. This paper draws on observational and experimental survey data from authoritarian countries in the Arab world to show that respondents who perceive elections as more free and fair are more likely to express acceptance of the regime's right to govern and less likely to participate in political protests. The findings indicate the importance of studying how authoritarian institutions influence popular beliefs about the legitimacy of autocratic rulers.
Click here for the: Article | Supplementary Information | Replication Data