«King of the Hill», or why bad institutions in post-communist autocracies

Melville A.Yu.,

Dr. Sci. (Phil.), Professor, Distinguished Scholar of Russia, Academic Supervisor and Dean, Faculty of Social Science, HSE University, amelville@hse.ru

elibrary_id: 251142 | ORCID: 0000-0002-1414-5783 | RESEARCHER_ID: B-1152-2014

Stukal D.K.,

PhD, Cand. Sci. (Polit. Sci.), Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, HSE University, denis.stukal@gmail.com

elibrary_id: 1096522 | ORCID: 0000-0001-6240-5714 | RESEARCHER_ID: ABA-3314-2020

Mironyuk M.G.,

Cand. Sci. (Polit. Sci.), Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, HSE University,, mmironyuk@hse.ru

elibrary_id: 251177 | ORCID: 0000-0002-8183-3084 | RESEARCHER_ID: K-9102-2015

Rubric: From a political scientist's viewpoint

For citation:

Melville A.Yu., Stukal D.K., Mironyuk M.G. «King of the Hill», or why bad institutions in post-communist autocracies. – Polis. Political Studies. 2013. No. 2. P. 125-143. (In Russ.)

Abstract

Numerous researchers in comparative politics have pointed at non-linear J-shaped link between state capacity and democracy. This claim suggests that consolidated autocracies possess higher levels of state capacity than hybrid regimes. We test this conjecture using post-communist sample, 1989 - 2010, and do not find supporting evidence. The paper presents an original approach to measurement of state capacity and an informal model of the “king of the hill” explaining low quality of institutions in post-communist autocracies.

Keywords

state capacity; democracy; quality of institutions; post-communist regimes.