Authoritarianism and corruption go together. “Corruption is the misuse of public power for private gain and has become a worldwide problem for economies and social development.” Together, authoritarianism and corruption weaken societies–accentuate existing divisions, create new ones, increase inequality, spread distrust, and make a society less stable and less able to respond effectively and coherently to challenges–like disease, poverty, and violence.
Voters turn to authoritarians who promise stability and often a return to some supposed idyllic earlier time … but usually find the opposite. Authoritarian regimes are inherently “fragile states” where life becomes worse for most people and fear replaces trust and compromise.
Quick bibliography: Articles–classic and recent–about authoritarianism, corruption, and their effects.
**updated January 2025**
*Brysk, A., & Mehta, A. (2017). When development is not enough: Structural change, conflict and gendered insecurity. Global Society, 31(4), 441-459.
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*Chang, E., & Golden, M. A. (2010). Sources of corruption in authoritarian regimes. Social Science Quarterly, 91(1), 1-20.
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*Chen, D. (2017). Local Distrust and Regime Support: Sources and Effects of Political Trust in China. Political Research Quarterly, 70(2), 314-326.
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*Goel, R. K., & Nelson, M. A. (2021). Direct and indirect influences of political regimes on corruption. Social Science Quarterly, 102(4), 1569-1589.
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*Huang, H., Serra Boranbay-Akan, & Huang, L. (2019). Media, protest diffusion, and authoritarian resilience. Political Science Research and Methods, 7(1), 23-42.
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*Nisnevich, Y. (2016). Modern Authoritarianism and Corruption. Available at SSRN.
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*Tan, X., Liu, L., Zheng, W., & Huang, Z. (2016). Effects of social dominance orientation and right-wing authoritarianism on corrupt intention: The role of moral outrage. International Journal of Psychology, 51(3), 213-219.
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