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Article
Inequality under Authoritarian Rule
Government and Opposition (2021)
  • Terence Teo, Seton Hall University
Abstract
Since the turn of the century, much comparative politics scholarship has examined whether and how income inequality affects the prospects of democratization and, to a lesser extent, whether democracy reduces inequality. What is lacking, however, is a close examination of the extent of income inequality in authoritarian regimes. This article examines the variation in inequality across authoritarian regimes and argues that electoral competition – in conjunction with party ideology and the extent of party institutionalization – helps explain the pattern of inequality under authoritarian rule. I find that electoral authoritarian (EA) regimes – regimes in which multiple parties legally compete in elections – have lower levels of inequality compared to non-EA regimes. I further find that inequality is lower in EA regimes with left-leaning ruling parties and more institutionalized party systems. This analysis highlights the value of exploring the dynamics and contingent effects of electoral competition in authoritarian regimes.
Keywords
  • authoritarian regimes,
  • income inequality,
  • electoral competition,
  • ideology,
  • party institutionalization
Disciplines
Publication Date
April, 2021
DOI
10.1017/gov.2019.19
Citation Information
Terence Teo. "Inequality under Authoritarian Rule" Government and Opposition Vol. 56 Iss. 2 (2021) p. 201 - 225 ISSN: 1477-7053
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/terence-teo/10/