The last decade has witnessed growing interest among political scientists and economists in
nondemocratic politics. This trend has been reflected in increasingly rigorous game …

In recent decades, dictatorships based on mass repression have largely given way to a new
model based on the manipulation of information. Instead of terrorizing citizens into …

We develop an informational theory of autocracy. Dictators survive not by means of force or
ideology but because they convince the public—rightly or wrongly—that they are competent …

The collapse of autocratic regimes is often brought about through large-scale mobilization
and collective action by elements of the populace. The willingness of any given member of …

We characterize a ruler's decision of whether to censor media reports that convey
information to citizens who decide whether to revolt. We find:(i) a ruler gains (his ex ante …

I develop a theory of propaganda which affects mass behavior without necessarily affecting
mass beliefs. A group of citizens observe a signal of their government's performance, which …

How can one analyze collective action in protests or revolutions when individuals are
uncertain about the relative payoffs of the status quo and revolution? We model a “calculus …

Most electoral fraud is not conducted centrally by incumbents but rather locally by a
multitude of political operatives. How does an incumbent ensure that his agents deliver fraud …

Why would an authoritarian regime allow citizens to voice opinions publicly if the exchange
of information among citizens spurs social instability as has been often alleged? We show …

Advocates for economic development often call for greater transparency. But what does
transparency really mean? What are its consequences? This breakthrough book …