What autocracies say (and what citizens hear): proposing four mechanisms of autocratic legitimation

ABSTRACT

Autocratic governments make claims about why they are entitled to rule. Some autocracies are more talkative than others, but all regimes say something about why they deserve power. This article takes seriously these efforts by introducing and interrogating the concept of autocratic legitimation. After engaging in a definitional discussion, it traces the development of autocratic legitimation in modern political science by identifying major turning points, key concepts, and patterns of inquiry over time. Ultimately, this introductory article aims to not only argue that studying autocratic legitimation is important, but also to propose contexts, concepts, and distinctions for doing so productively. To this end, the article proposes four mechanisms of autocratic legitimation that can facilitate comparative analysis: indoctrination, passivity, performance, and democratic-procedural. Finally, the essay briefly introduces the five original articles that comprise the remainder of this special issue on autocratic legitimation. The article identifies avenues for further research and identifies how each article in the issue advances down productive pathways of inquiry.     

瑞典要率先告别"石油经济"

油价一路攀升,让长期以来使用燃油供暖的瑞典人,为度过2005年这个特别寒冷的冬天付出了不菲的代价.正当人们望"油"兴叹时,瑞典政府在近期宣布,要在2020年告别"石油经济",成为全球第一个不依赖石油的国家.     

法国为何对《欧盟宪法条约》说"不"?

在欧洲一体化的历史上,2005年5月29日是一个黑色的日子,因为法国在这天举行公民投票,以54.8 6%对45.14%的多数否决了<欧盟宪法条约>.作为欧盟的创始国和核心国,法国在欧盟10国业已通过<欧盟宪法条约>的情况下第一个对欧宪说"不",这表明欧宪批准进程遭到严重挫折,势必对欧洲一体化进程和法国政局造成巨大冲击.在世人感到震惊和疑惑不解之际,人们不禁要问,为什么在法兰西这样一个欧宪主要推动国里会发生"5.29"公投失败这场政治大地震呢?