Dialogue with the Dictator illuminates the ways in which authoritarian regimes structure interaction between citizens and leaders to simultaneously manage information dilemmas and build regime legitimacy. In doing so, it demonstrates the conditions under which managed participation can reinforce or jeopardize authoritarian control. Chapters uncover how these tools are viewed from the perspective of the public and the mechanisms through which they influence attitudes toward authorities. By cultivating limited opportunities for participation in otherwise closed political systems, autocrats bolster regime legitimacy while still maintaining control of the means and content of communication. These tools ultimately reinforce and entrench autocratic leaders rather than contributing to increased prospects for democracy – but not without consequences. Combining interviews, original surveys, and text analysis, the book provides a novel theoretical framework for understanding managed participation under authoritarianism and explains both its benefits and potential consequences for authoritarian regimes.

‘Dialogue with the Dictator breaks new ground by exploring how the Kremlin governs not only by coercion, but also by using limited opportunities for participation to gain public support. By identifying the power and limits of ‘participatory technologies’ such as a popular call-in show with President Putin, Chapman makes a much-needed contribution to our understanding of modern autocracy.’

Tim Frye - Marshall D. Shulman Professor of Post-Soviet Politics, Columbia University

‘Dialogue with the Dictator shows how participatory technologies foster elite-enabling participation by generating public support and legitimacy without constraining elite behavior. Chapman’s theory of participatory technologies reveals how seemingly democratic institutions are manipulated in authoritarian regimes to manufacture consent. While Putin’s Russia is the main case, the theory is relevant to all non-democracies.’

Danielle Lussier - Associate Professor of Political Science, Grinnell College

‘In Dialogue with the Dictator, Hannah Chapman presents an innovative framework to make sense of how autocrats utilize the tools of participatory democracy to consolidate authoritarian control. Whereas most scholars of participatory institutions examine the potential of these venues to deepen democracy, Chapman’s ground-breaking analysis reveals the power of participatory technologies to entrench authoritarian regimes by controlling flows of information and bolstering their legitimacy. Dialogue with the Dictator is a must-read for scholars of authoritarianism, political communication, and participatory institutions.’

Lindsay Mayka - Associate Professor of Government and Chair of Latin American Studies, Colby College

‘Most authoritarian regimes today embrace tools that allow citizens to participate in politics. Hannah Chapman gives us the most thorough account to date of why regimes use public participation and to what effect. Through a detailed analysis of Putin’s ‘Direct Line,’ she shows how these institutions can boost regime support even when they do not necessarily beget better governance. This book is political science at its best, a must-read for anyone interested in how authoritarian regimes foster legitimacy.’