While in the past research on authoritarianism focused on studying authoritarian institutions in a comparative context, recently the political science scholarship experienced a certain change of focus towards political behavior. The lecture of Ora John Reuter provides an example of this novel scholarship. It demonstrates how survey experiments can be used to identify causal effects of authoritarian policies. Specifically, it looks at whether loyal supporters of an authoritarian regime are discouraged by the use of electoral manipulations by the regime. The results of the study presented in the lecture explain several important features of the Russian authoritarianism.

Vortrag im Rahmen der Ringvorlesung Osteuropaforschung im Wandel: Krisen, Konflikte, Herausforderungen im WS 2020/21