Citizens and the State in Authoritarian Regimes Comparing China and Russia

The revival of authoritarianism is one of the most important forces reshaping world politics today. However, not all authoritarians are the same. To examine both resurgence and variation in authoritarian rule, Karrie J. Koesel, Valerie J. Bunce, and Jessica Chen Weiss gather a leading cast of scholars to compare the most powerful autocracies in global politics today: Russia and China. The essays in Citizens and the State in Authoritarian Regimes focus on three issues that currently animate debates about these two countries and, more generally, authoritarian political systems. First, how do authoritarian regimes differ from one another, and how do these differences affect regime-society relations? Second, what do citizens think about the authoritarian governments that rule them, and what do they want from their governments? Third, what strategies do authoritarian leaders use to keep citizens and public officials in line and how successful are those strategies in sustaining both the regime and the leader's hold on power? Integrating the most important findings from a now-immense body of research into a coherent comparative analysis of Russia and China, this book will be essential for anyone studying the foundations of contemporary authoritarianism.

Karrie J. Koesel is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame.

Valerie J. Bunce is the Aaron Binenkorb Professor Emerita of Government at Cornell University.

Jessica Chen Weiss is Associate Professor of Government at Cornell University.

Acknowledgments

Chapter I: Valerie Bunce (Cornell University), Karrie Koesel (University of Notre Dame) and Jessica Chen Weiss (Cornell University), "Introduction: Regimes & Societies in Authoritarian States."


Section I: Preempting Threats

Chapter II: Jeremy Wallace (Cornell University), "The New Normal: A Neopolitical Turn in China's Reform Era."

Chapter III: Diana Fu (University of Toronto) and Greg Distelhorst (University of Toronto), "Political Opportunities for Participation & China's Leadership Transition."

Chapter IV: Karrie Koesel (University of Notre Dame) and Valerie Bunce (Cornell University), "Diffusion-Proofing: Russian and Chinese Responses to Waves of Popular Mobilization Against Authoritarian Rulers."


Section II: Media Politics

Chapter V: Maria Repnikova (Georgia State University), "Critical Journalists in China and Russia: Encounters with Ambiguity."

Chapter VI: Tomila Lankina, Kohei Watanabe and Yulia Netesova (London School of Economics, University of Innsbruck, London School of Economics), "How Russian Media Control, Manipulate, and Leverage Public Discontent: Framing Protest in Autocracies."


Section III: Law & Labor

Chapter VII: Elizabeth Plantan (Harvard University), "A Tale of Two Laws: Managing Foreign Agents & Overseas NGOs in Russia & China."

Chapter VIII: Manfred Elfstrom (University of British Columbia, Okanagan), "Holding the Government's Attention: State Sector Workers in China."


Section IV: Building Public Support

Chapter IX: Aleksandar Matovski (Williams College), "The Logic of Vladimir Putin's Popularity."

Chapter X: Karrie Koesel (University of Notre Dame), "Legitimacy, Resilience and Political Education in Russia and China: Learning to Be Loyal."

Chapter XI: Bryn Rosenfeld (Cornell University), "Going Public: Choosing to Work for the Russian State."

Chapter XII: Mark R. Beissinger (Princeton University), "Conclusion: China, Russia, and the Authoritarian Embrace of Globalization."