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Collective memories, propaganda and authoritarian political support

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  • Belmonte, Alessandro
  • Rochlitz, Michael

Abstract

Can experience with democracy affect political support for a dictator? We develop a political economy model with endogenous reference points, where a dictator strategically reactivates traumatic collective memories about a past experience with democracy, to convince the population that a democratic alternative is inferior to the autocratic status quo. We find that a more traumatic experience with democracy in the past renders propaganda more efficient and increases the level of authoritarian political support per unit of memory recollection. We support these findings with panel data evidence from 103 countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Belmonte, Alessandro & Rochlitz, Michael, 2020. "Collective memories, propaganda and authoritarian political support," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 44(3).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecosys:v:44:y:2020:i:3:s0939362520300789
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecosys.2020.100771
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    Cited by:

    1. Sergei Guriev & Daniel Treisman, 2019. "Informational Autocrats," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 33(4), pages 100-127, Fall.
    2. Michael Rochlitz & Olga Masyutina & Koen Schoors & Yulia Khalikova, 2023. "Authoritarian durability, prospects of change and individual behavior: evidence from a survey experiment in Russia," Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium 23/1061, Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Collective memory; Propaganda; Political support; Authoritarian politics; Private investment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D74 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • P16 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Capitalist Institutions; Welfare State
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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