Rapid urbanization is transforming the developing world, but the political consequences of this transformation are not well understood. In this paper, we argue that political contention and mobilization in the urban environment differs from other forms of political activity in its scale, speed,...

Coercive institutions are essential components of authoritarian states and contribute to regime durability. However, variation in the internal structures of these institutions remains relatively unexplored. I argue that frequent intra-agency reforms of coercive institutions shape the incentives...

Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction; 2. Policy, Institutions and Stability; 3. Policy Outcomes; 4. Food, Policy and Unrest; 5. Agricultural Rents and Regime Durability; 6. Germany, 1878 - 1890; 7. Malaysia, 1969 - 1980; 8. Conclusion.

Mass unrest only rarely leads to regime collapse because it determines, and is simultaneously determined by, the mix of co-optation and repression chosen by authoritarian governments. Policy miscalculations which allow for uprisings to destabilize regimes are possible, but uncommon and quickly...

Leaders of undemocratic regimes allow elections in order to co-opt powerful groups in society and secure their own grip on power. However, they do not allow fair elections. They manipulate the electoral system in order to over-represent the geographic areas, and the groups within them, to whom...

Economic grievances, particularly those caused by landholding inequality, play a central role in theories of political instability and civil conflict. However, cross-national empirical studies have failed to confirm the link between unequal distributions of land and civil war. This is due to...

Agricultural policy is a key determinant of development outcomes and has large effects on global trade flows. However, scholars cannot fully explain variation in these policies because they have not examined how they are made under authoritarian governments. I argue that agricultural policy...

Theories of authoritarianism assert that autocratic governments follow repressive and redistributive policies which impede mass mobilization and mitigate economic grievances to prevent regime instability. However, policy formulation and implementation remain opaque and under-theorized elements...