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Inequality under Authoritarian Rule

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 May 2019

Terence K. Teo
Terence K. Teo*
Affiliation:
Terence K. Teo, Department of Political Science and Public Affairs, Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey, US
*
*Corresponding author. Email: teokwokc@shu.edu
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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 regimesincome inequalityelectoral competitionideologyparty institutionalization
Type
Article
Information
Government and Opposition , Volume 56 , Issue 2 , April 2021 , pp. 201 - 225
Copyright
Copyright © The Author 2019. Published by Government and Opposition Limited and Cambridge University Press

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