25% active participation & discussion
75% written research proposal
The seminar examines the political economy of autocratic regimes from an empirical perspective. At the center is the question of why autocracies emerge, how they govern, how they can be challenged, and what long-term legacies they leave behind. The course is based on recent empirical research on countries such as the GDR, Nazi Germany, China, or Russia.
Thematic focus:
1. The Rise of Autocracies (e.g., resource dependence, war and state-building, technologies of repression)
2. Policies of Autocracies (e.g., ideological education, use of bureaucracy, digital surveillance)
3. Tackling Autocracies (e.g., social media and protest mobilization)
4. Persistence of Autocracies (e.g., aftermath of repression, normative change)
The studies discussed employ modern empirical methods (e.g., IV, RDD, Difference-in-Differences, Event Studies) and data sources such as archival material, geodata, historical administrative data, or online behavior.
Everyone is invited to join. Previous (basic) knowledge in econometrics and STATA/R will be important
