crises, mass opinion, and the rise of electoral authoritarianism Matovski, Aleksandar 1978- creator author aut http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/aut text bibliography enk Cambridge, UK New York Cambridge University Press 2021 2024 monographic eng xvi, 302 pages illustrations "Electoral autocracies - regimes that adopt democratic institutions but subvert them to rule as dictatorships - have become the most widespread, resilient and zalignant non-democracies today. They have consistently ruled over a third of the countries in the world, including geopolitically significant states like Russia, Turkey, Venezuela, Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria and Pakistan. Challenging conventional wisdom, Popular Dictators shows that the success of electoral authoritarianism is not due to these regimes' superior capacity to repress, bribe, brainwash and manipulate their societies into submission, but is actually a product of their genuine popular appeal in countries experiencing deep political, economic and security crises. Promising efficient, strong-armed rule tempered by popular accountability, elected strongmen attract mass support in societies traumatized by turmoil, dysfunction and injustice, allowing them to rule through the ballot box. Popular Dictators argues that this crisis legitimation strategy makes electoral authoritarianism the most significant threat to global peace and democracy"-- Provided by publisher. A "Perfect Dictatorship?" The Puzzle of Electoral Authoritarianism -- Crises, Popular Opinion, and Electoral Authoritarianism -- The Crisis Roots of Electoral Authoritarianism: A Macro-Level Analysis -- The "Strongman" Electoral Authoritarian Appeal: A Comparative Analysis -- Crises, Popular Opinion, and the Realignment of Political Competition in Russia -- Is Russia Unique? The Strongman Heresthetic in Comparative Perspective -- Conclusions and Implications. Aleksandar Matovski, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. Includes bibliographical references and index. Elections Authoritarianism POLITICAL SCIENCE / General 324 POL000000 9781009048477 2021038906 DLC 210902 20251113121017.0 22213848 eng