Projects

Ongoing Projects

Elite Politics in Autocracies

Today, most dictators exploit democratic institutions such as multiparty elections or legislatures to cover their autocratic rule. To carry out this form of rule, dictators need a loyal coalition of politicians to gather supporters, advance policies, and win elections. While this loyalty is central to regime survival, elite divisions within authoritarian governments can induce political change. Yet, what type of divisions matter and whether such change will be democratizing are unclear. Defectors might have the resources to embolden pro-democracy groups, but they may also face repression, worsening democratization prospects. What type of divisions within the ruling elite can weaken modern autocracies? What are the mechanisms that underpin the relationship between defections and democratization? This project will offer a new theoretical framework, innovative data, and empirical research to identify and explain the strains and disruptions within authoritarian governments that induce democratization. The project is funded by the HORIZON.1.2 – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) 

Turncoat Politics. The Origins and Effects of Elite Divisions in Autocracies [book project]

Why would prominent elites join the opposition when a dictator threatens their lives or offers more rewards? And why do some elite defections threaten authoritarian rule, whereas others become politically irrelevant? This ongoing manuscript examines such questions. The first part of the book studies why, when, and how elites associated with the dictator defect to join the opposition. The final chapters show when and how elite defections threaten authoritarian rule. The book’s theory, dataset, and findings will provide a deeper view of elite dynamics, authoritarianism, opposition coordination, democratization, elections, and policy-making.

Education Policies and Systems across Modern History: A Global Dataset

This project has generated a global dataset on education policies and systems across modern history (EPSM). It includes 21 items pertaining to the nature of compulsory education, ideological guidance and content of education, autonomy or political control of education institutions, and teacher training. EPSM covers 157 countries with populations exceeding 1 million people, and the time series extends from 1789 to the present. EPSM opens up for studying several questions concerning politics and education. EPSM is funded by Carl H. Knutsen’s ERC-project Emergence, Life and Demise of Autocratic Regimes.

Democracy under Threat: How Education Can Save it (PI: Anja Neundorf)

This ERC-funded project has four objectives. Establish a new theoretical framework of the causes of democratic (in)stability to provide new platforms to study democracy and to enable innovative public policy. Second, create a dataset on indoctrination and political culture. Third, Identify new ways to use the transformative power of social media to develop and distribute new online educational content to promote democracy through civic education. Finally, integrate the above objectives to provide a new theoretical and empirically validated paradigm to lead to more stable democracies.

The Construction of Political Consensus in Multiparty Politics (PI: Xavier Coller)

My colleagues and I investigated how agreements in policy-making are made. For that, we generated surveys and interviews with politicians as well as collected data based on laws and Spanish politicians’ backgrounds since the transition to democracy. Our work shed light on patterns of parliamentary cooperation among rivals and intra-party divisions.