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The Psychology of State Repression: Fear and Dissent Decisions in Zimbabwe

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  • YOUNG, LAUREN E.

Abstract

Many authoritarian regimes use frightening acts of repression to suppress dissent. Theory from psychology suggests that emotions should affect how citizens perceive and process information about repression risk and ultimately whether or not they dissent. I test the effects of emotions on dissent in autocracy by running a lab-in-the-field experiment with 671 opposition supporters in Zimbabwe that randomly assigns some participants to an exercise that induces a mild state of fear, whereas others complete a neutral placebo. The fear treatment significantly reduces hypothetical and behavioral measures of dissent by substantively large amounts. It also increases pessimism about parameters that enter into the dissent decision as well as risk aversion. These results show that emotions interact in important ways with strategic considerations. Fear may be a powerful component of how unpopular autocrats exclude large portions of their populations from mobilizing for regime change.

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  • Young, Lauren E., 2019. "The Psychology of State Repression: Fear and Dissent Decisions in Zimbabwe," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 113(1), pages 140-155, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:113:y:2019:i:01:p:140-155_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Gonzalez, Felipe & Prem, Mounu, 2020. "Police Repression and Protest Behavior: Evidence from Student Protests in Chile," SocArXiv 3xk5r, Center for Open Science.
    2. Chiroleu-Assouline, Mireille & Lambert-Mogiliansky, Ariane, 2023. "Radical activism and self-regulation: An optimal campaign mechanism," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    3. M Tahir Kilavuz & Sharan Grewal & Robert Kubinec, 2023. "Ghosts of the Black Decade: How legacies of violence shaped Algeria’s Hirak protests," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 60(1), pages 9-25, January.
    4. Denny,Elaine Kathryn & Dow,David & Levy,Gabriella & Villamizar-Chaparro,Mateo, 2022. "Extortion and Civic Engagement among Guatemalan Deportees," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10020, The World Bank.
    5. Lauren E Young, 2020. "Who dissents? Self-efficacy and opposition action after state-sponsored election violence," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 57(1), pages 62-76, January.
    6. Eunbin Chung & Inbok Rhee, 2022. "Disasters and intergroup peace in sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 59(1), pages 58-72, January.
    7. Scott Williamson & Mashail Malik, 2021. "Contesting narratives of repression: Experimental evidence from Sisi’s Egypt," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 58(5), pages 1018-1033, September.
    8. Stephanie Dornschneider-Elkink & Nick Henderson, 2024. "Repression and Dissent: How Tit-for-Tat Leads to Violent and Nonviolent Resistance," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 68(4), pages 756-785, April.
    9. Travis B. Curtice & Brandon Behlendorf, 2021. "Street-level Repression: Protest, Policing, and Dissent in Uganda," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 65(1), pages 166-194, January.
    10. Sandra Ley, 2022. "High-risk participation: Demanding peace and justice amid criminal violence," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 59(6), pages 794-809, November.
    11. Lars-Erik Cederman & Simon Hug & Livia I. Schubiger & Francisco Villamil, 2020. "Civilian Victimization and Ethnic Civil War," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 64(7-8), pages 1199-1225, August.

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