My very quick couple of questions relate to the 'Politcal Competition and Economic Growth' reading in the course book. There is a quote in the first paragraph I cannot quite understand, "In those systems in which good policy is also good politics, leaders face greater obstacles to maintaining incumbency than their counterparts in nondemocratic systems." How and why is this the case?
My second question is concerned with Autocrats. My understanding of an Autocrat was a leader that retained power for an extended period of time. However in this reading it provides a graph which shows that a third of Autocrats only hold power for less than a year. Is my understanding of an Autocrat completely wrong? Surely this source cannot be wildly inaccurate.
Thanks
Oliver, yes, most autocracts (=dictators), indeed most leaders (democratic or not) don't hold power for very long, though some hold power for huge lengths of time. (See the second chart I posted below).
ReplyDeleteIn response to your first query, I think the answer is found at the bottom of page 88 continued at the top of page 89. Unless I've misinterpreted it I think the quote refers to the fact that in autocracies or non-democracies there is generally a very small winning coalition, or group of supporters.With a small winning coalition, it is possible to allocate resources to private goods over public. Thus, it is smarter for the incumbent to provide the winning coalition with private goods to retain their support. This inevitably comes at the expense of public goods.
ReplyDeleteConversely, in a democracy where the selectorate and winning coalition are both very large, it is nearly impossible to provide private goods to the winning coalition. Thus, it is more effective for the incumbent to allocate available resources to public goods. This is seen as good public policy, but means that everyone benefits, not just the winning coalition. As a result, they do not have the same degree of certainty that members of their winning coalition will not defect if offered greater benefits from a political challenger.