Studies of multiparty elections in authoritarian regimes have proliferated in recent years. Nevertheless, the available evidence remains inconclusive in terms of when, where, or why elections work to sustain or undermine authoritarian rule. The contributions to the special issue ‘State Capacity, Elections and the Resilience of Authoritarian Rule’ argue that analyzing the extent to which the effect of elections on authoritarian regime resilience is mediated through the factor of state capacity helps to solve this puzzle. This introduction lays out the analytical foundation for this discussion by reviewing key terms and concepts, and by highlighting possible theoretical connections between the state capacity literature on the one hand and the electoral authoritarianism literature on the other. Furthermore, it considers the contributions in this special issue, and points out areas of agreement and disagreement between the authors, while simultaneously placing the different arguments within the broader field of enquiry.
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AndersenDavidMøllerJørgenRørbækLasse LykkeSkaaningSvend-Erik (2014) State Capacity and Political Regime Stability. Democratization21(7): 1305–1325.
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BlaydesLisa (2011) Elections and Distributive Politics in Mubarak’s Egypt. New York: Cambridge University Press.
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BoogardsMatthijs (2009) How to Classify Hybrid Regimes? Defective democracy and electoral authoritarianism. Democratization16(2): 399–423.
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BoogardsMatthijs (2013) Reexamining African Elections. Journal of Democracy24(4): 151–160.
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BrownleeJason (2009) Portents of Pluralism: How hybrid regimes affect democratic transitions. American Journal of Political Science53(3): 515–532.
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DiamondLarry (2002) Thinking About Hybrid Regimes. Journal of Democracy13(2): 21–35.
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DonnoDaniela (2013) Elections and Democratization in Authoritarian Regimes. American Journal of Politics57(3): 703–716.
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FennerSofiaSlaterDan (2011) State Power and Staying Power: Infrastructural mechanisms and authoritarian durability. Journal of International Affairs65(1): 15–29.
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FukuyamaFrancis (2014) States and Democracy. Democratization21(7): 1326–1340.
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HowardMarcRoesslerPhilip (2006) Liberalizing Electoral Outcomes in Competitive Authoritarian Regimes. American Journal of Political Science50(2): 365–381.
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KayaRuchanBernhardMichael (2013) Are Elections Mechanisms of Authoritarian Stability or Democratization? Evidence from postcommunist Eurasia. Perspectives on Politics11(3): 734–752.
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LevitskyStevenWayLucan (2010) Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes After the Cold War. New York: Cambridge University Press.
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LindbergStaffan (2006) Democracy and Elections in Africa. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
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LindbergStaffan I (2009) The Power of Elections in Africa Revisited. In LindbergStaffan I. (ed.) Democratization by Elections: A New Mode of Transition. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 25–46.
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Lust-OkarEllen (2006) Elections under Authoritarianism: Preliminary lessons from Jordan. Democratization13(3): 456–471.
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MagaloniBeatriz (2008) Credible Power-Sharing and the Longevity of Authoritarian Rule. Comparative Political Studies41(4–5): 715–741.
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McCoyJennifer LHartlynJonathan (2009) The relative powerlessness of elections in Latin America. In LindbergStaffan I. (ed.) Democratization by Elections: A New Mode of Transition. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 47–76.
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MerkelWolfgang (2004) Embedded and Defective Democracies. Democratization11(5): 33–58.
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MorgenbesserLee (2014) Elections in Hybrid Regimes: Conceptual stretching revived. Political Studies22(1): 21–36.
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SchedlerAndreas (2006) The Logic of Electoral Authoritarianism. In SchedlerAndreas (ed.) Electoral Authoritarianism: The Dynamics of Unfree Competition. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 1–23.
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SchedlerAndreas (2015) The Politics of Uncertainty: Sustaining and Subverting Electoral Authoritarianism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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SeebergMerete B (2014) State Capacity and the Paradox of Authoritarian Elections. Democratization21(7): 1265–1285.
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ShirahRyan (2014) Institutional Legacy and the Stability of New Democracies: The Lasting Effects of Competitive Authoritarianism. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of California, Irvine.
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