Former Kellogg Visiting Fellow James Loxton (Academic Year 2014-15) recently published a new book, Authoritarianism: A Very Short Introduction, as part of the Oxford University Press’ Very Short Introduction Series.
“I have loved this series since I was an undergrad,” said Loxton. “It's a dream come true to have made my own contribution to it.”
The book provides a comprehensive overview of authoritarian regimes while considering how understandings of authoritarianism have changed over time. Starting from why they are born and ending with why they end, the book follows along the life cycle of the regimes, pulling examples from countries such as Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Numerous Kellogg-affiliated scholars applauded Loxton’s book in their reviews, including former Visiting Fellow Steven Levitsky (1999) and Kellogg Advisory Board members Tim Power and Rachel Beatty Riedl.
“For anyone teaching or learning about the causes, durability, and legacies of authoritarian rule, Loxton’s insightful and masterfully-written book should be the first off the shelf,” Levitsky said in part.
Loxton is a senior lecturer in comparative politics at the University of Sydney. His research focuses mainly on the subjects of conservative parties in Latin America and authoritarian successor parties worldwide. He holds a PhD from Harvard University.