To appease or to repress: how dictators use economic dynamics to increase their regime longevity

Abstract

International crimes, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, are more likely to occur in non-democratic regimes. Consequently, the decision-making process of dictators has increasingly garnered criminological interest [78]. The decisions dictators make and the strategies they use impact the longevity of their regime. Scholars predominantly focus on the extent to which a dictator is able to generate support from both the elite and the masses in explaining regime survival [3, 22, 54]. A dictator can use economic dynamics to increase his support among the elite through corrupt practices [3], he can determine the extent to which he is supported by the masses by offering public goods and services to them [22] and he can withhold benefits to repress threats stemming from these groups [17]. However, the intentional use of these strategies to increase regime survival remains under-researched [77]. The present research aims to fill this gap through an analysis of Paul Biya’s 37-year reign in Cameroon. It is argued that the economic structure of a country influences the strategy—repression or appeasement—that is chosen to deal with the threat stemming from the masses or the elite and that ultimately, these considerations are likely to influence the economic development of a country.

Lived experience of healthcare providers amidst war and siege: a phenomenological study of Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

“…Many of these conflicts involve “regimes at war with sectors of their society” – generally targeting an ethnic group within the country [ 3 ]. The mechanisms of domination and oppression in these countries are through deliberate destruction of the social fabric, economic control, and repression of cultural life, as well as atrocities committed such as extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and using rape as a weapon of war [ 4 – 7 ].…”