Why Support an Authoritarian? The Effect of Population in Modern Authoritarian Populism

Author: Ryan Church

Field of Study: Political Science

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Matthew Cole

Easel: 91

Timeslot: Afternoon

Abstract: According to data collected by the Varieties of Democracy Project (or the V-Dem Institute), as a result of the third wave of autocratization, 72% of the world’s population currently lives under autocracy. This study examines to what extent the people of an authoritarian regime help determine that regime’s success or collapse, wondering whether populations have a greater impact on regime lifetime than is currently suggested in authoritarian discussion. By analyzing successful 21st century authoritarian regimes present in Russia and China, compared with less successful emerging regimes like Poland in the early 2010s, previously-overlooked patterns in population factors have emerged. The findings of this study provide not only a window into the inner workings of authoritarian regimes, but with valuable insights on how to fight third-wave autocratic regimes: not by force, but through a liberation of the “silent majority” whose submission lends the regime its power.