What Do We Know and What Should We Do about Authoritarian Regimes? - Hardcover

by Natasha Lindstaedt (Author)

At least 70% of the world's population now lives under an autocracy. There are more openly authoritarian states than ever, democratic regimes are 'backsliding' into autocracy, and authoritarian values and practices are increasingly normalized. Regimes in China and Russia are as prominent and urgent as ever, but authoritarianism is spreading across the globe.

Why is this happening? What can we do about it?

This book is a concise and compelling exploration of the increasing number and influence of authoritarian regimes. It explains the realities of recent trends to 'autocratisation', the tools these regimes use, what we can do to resist, and why we might even allow ourselves a degree of optimism.

Professor Natasha Lindstaedt works at the Department of Government at the University of Essex.

Written by leading social scientists, the What Do We Know and What Should We Do About...? series offers concise, up-to-date overviews of issues often oversimplified, misrepresented or misunderstood and shows you how to enact change.

"Short, sharp and compelling." - Alex Preston, The Observer

"If you want to learn a lot about what matters most, in as short a time as possible, this is the series for you."- Danny Dorling, 1971 Professor of Geography, University of Oxford

Author Biography

Natasha Lindstaedt a Professor of Government at the University of Essex and the Deputy Dean of Education in Social Sciences. She has extensive experience teaching in a number of areas including International Relations, Political Development, Violent Non-State Actors, State Building, Conflict and Middle East Politics. Her research interests focus on issues that intersect in global and comparative politics such as authoritarianism, democratic backsliding, human security and new forms of violence. She has consulted for various organizations including the European Union, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and the United Nations. Her recent books include Democracies and Authoritarian Regimes, and Democratic Decay.