Empirical Study of Autocracy: Konstanz
Worskhop on “The Empirical Study of Autocracy (ESTA)” September 10-13, 2017.
Given recent political developments in Europe and worldwide, there is little reason to expect that autocracy is receding. This workshop brings together researchers studying the various dynamics of autocratic rule using rigorous empirical approaches. The workshop includes three tracks:
(1) Institutions: How do different autocratic institutions secure autocratic power or pave the way for democratization?
(2) Information: How do informational dynamics affect autocratic rule? Does modern ICT threaten or strengthen leaders?
(3) Indicators: How can we empirically capture different aspects of closed autocratic systems? What new datasets exist for scholarly research on autocracy?
Marinov will likely contribute to (1) or (2). The workshop starts on Sunday (Sept 10) with a joint dinner in Konstanz, and ends on Wednesday (Sept 13) in the afternoon. We expect to have around 22 presentations, with slots of 45min for each paper. For participants arriving early, we will try to organize a social event on Sunday (to be confirmed).
Organizer:
Nils B. Weidmann
Professor of Political Science
University of Konstanz
Program
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The Empirical Study of Autocracy (ESTA) University of Konstanz, Germany
September 10-12, 2017
Presentations and comments by the discussant are 15mins each.
Sunday, September 10
19.30 Welcome dinner at (TBA)
Monday, September 11
09.00-09.10 Welcome and logistics
09.10-10.40 Panel
Chair: Molly Roberts Discussant: Jos Bartman
Measuring Varieties of Autocracy with V-Dem Data
Staffan Lindberg
The Latent Characteristics That Structure Autocratic Rule
Joseph Wright
Universities, State-Building, and Democratization
Jan H. Pierskalla
10.40-11.10 Coffee
11.10-12.40 Panel
Chair: Nils B. Weidmann Discussant: Anita Gohdes
Stalin's Famine and the Political Legacy of Mass Starvation
Yuri M. Zhukov
Trickle-Down Ethnic Politics: Drunk and Absent in the Kenya Police Force (1957-1970)
Patrick Kuhn
Pulling the Strings? The Strategic Use of Pro-Regime Rallies in Authoritarian Regimes
Sebastian Hellmeier
12.40-14.00 Lunch
14.00-15.30 Panel
Chair: Holger Kern Discussant: Dag Tanneberg
Who Owns the Internet, and Why Does It Matter? Internet Infrastructure and Shutdowns in Sub- Saharan
Africa
Tina Freyburg and Lisa Garbe
A Tool for Contention or Censorship? Denial-of-Service Attacks During Popular Uprisings in Authoritarian Regimes
Philipp Lutscher
From riot police to tweets: How world leaders use social media during contentious politics
Anita R. Gohdes
15.30-16.00 Coffee
16.00-17.30 Panel
Chair: Nikolay Marinov Discussant: Johannes Vüllers
Illiberal Norm Diffusion: How Do States Learn to Restrict NGOs?
Marlies Glasius
The determinants of alignment: Verbal and material collaboration between authoritarian regimes
Christian von Soest
Old flames never dying? The Chinese Communist Party’s relations to political parties in Sub-Saharan Africa
Julia Bader
19.30 Dinner at (TBA)
Tuesday, September 12
09.00-10.30 Panel
Chair: Carl Henrik Knutsen Discussant: Kris Ruijgrok
Trust Us: Technical Election Assistance and Post-Election Violence
Inken von Borzyskowski
Autocrats Don't Always Lie: GDP Manipulation, Autocracies, and Foreign Aid
Holger L. Kern
Quantifying U.S. Attention to Foreign Elections with Text Analysis
Nikolay Marinov
10.30-11.00 Coffee
11.00-12.30 Panel
Chair: Patrick Kuhn Discussant: Annerose Nisser
Authoritarian Transparency and Chinese Courts
Molly Roberts
Blurring the Lines: Self-Censorship Under Autocracy
Charles Crabtree
Signals of strength and weakness. Analyzing North Korea’s propaganda texts
Johannes Gerschewski
12.30-14.00 Lunch
14.00-15.30 Panel
Chair: Tina Freyburg
Discussant: Espen Geelmuyden Rød
Capitalists in Revolution
Mehdi Shadmehr
Modernization: Does it have an impact on the survival of autocracies?
Steffen Kailitz
Patterns of Regime Change since the French Revolution
Carl Henrik Knutsen
15.30 Coffee and end of the workshop