1. Introduction – A Contextual Overview; 2. Measuring Authoritarian Tendencies in Belarus, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine; 3. Learning from External Failure; 4. Learning from Internal Failure; 5. Learning from External and Internal Success; 6. The Role of Regional Organisations in Authoritarian Learning; 7. External and Internal Learning in State Institutions; 8. How External and Internal Informal Networks Shape Learning in Belarus, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine; 9. Conclusion.
Focusing on Russia and Eastern Europe, Hall argues that democracies can preserve their norms and values by better understanding how authoritarian regimes learn.
Stephen G. F. Hall is a Lecturer at the University of Bath, specialising in authoritarian and post-Soviet politics.
'Dr Hall pushes forward the literature on authoritarian learning.
The lessons learned from this book's conceptual framework and case
studies will serve as the foundation for future scholars
researching the current wave of autocratic resilience.' Thomas
Ambrosio, Professor of Political Science, North Dakota State
University
'The Authoritarian International is a fascinating exploration of
the complex ways in which authoritarian states in the post-Soviet
space learn, adapt and evolve as regimes by fashioning a common
repertoire of repressive and manipulative strategies. Stephen Hall
has drawn on extensive primary research to construct a new
understanding of a topic that is of growing importance in the
contemporary world.' Sarah Birch, Professor of Political Science,
King's College London
'Dr Hall's book is a landmark in the study of authoritarian
learning. It analyses how and why regimes learn, or fail to learn,
from the successes and failures of measures taken by themselves and
their neighbours to strengthen their hold on power.' Peter J. S.
Duncan, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University
College London
'In a world where authoritarian regimes increasingly challenge
democratic societies and norms, this is an essential handbook for
western scholars and policymakers alike.' Roberto Foa, Director of
the Centre for the Future of Democracy, University of Cambridge
'This book provides a perceptive account of the ways in which
stable authoritarian rule rests on processes of authoritarian
learning. Through a careful comparison of post-Soviet cases, Hall
illuminates how authoritarian leaders and their officials collude
and learn from one another to avoid failed survival strategies and
emulate successful ones. The book makes a strong case that elite
learning must be placed at the centre of theories of authoritarian
stability.' Oisin Tansey, Kings College London
'It is often said that democratisation comes in 'waves'.
Authoritarian states can copy each other too. They also learn from
their own past successes and failures, and from malpractice in
democratic states. Hall provides a fascinating study of
authoritarian adaption and durability.' Andrew Wilson, Professor of
Ukrainian Studies, UCL SSEES
'… an extremely well-researched study that offers many insights
into the intricate government structures and personal networks of
four post-Soviet polities: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and the
Republic of Moldova.' Nadja Douglas, H-Soz-Kult
'This book is a welcome addition to the literature and data on
authoritarian learning. In particular, it advances our analysis
beyond assumptions about learning towards a rigorous analysis of
how learning comes about …' Paul Fisher, Europe-Asia Studies
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