New Authoritarianism and Social Policies across the Globe: Converges and Divergences
Language: English and Spanish
The literature shows that autocratic regimes, particularly electoral autocracies, do not use repression by default but constantly rely on legitimacy—namely, belief in the ruler's right to rule—to mobilize support and use various methods to influence citizens and maintain political control over the long run. Among the well-established welfare regimes of the global North, Carnes and Mares (2009) demonstrated that social insurance programs in Europe and outside the West were initially adopted by non-democratic governments, motivated by their desire to prevent demands for political rights. More recently, the authoritarian regimes that preceded the third wave of democratization in Latin America, were not only pro-market but also familistic and maternalistic. Do electoral autocracies like those in Nicaragua and El Salvador have more in common with their authoritarian predecessors or the electoral democracies that expanded social spending and programs? How much do electoral incentives weigh against the role of legacies and the new constituencies they gave way to?
This session looks for proposals that address these concerns in one or more countries across the global South.