Comparative Politics Workshop

VIRTUAL Comparative Politics Workshop - Multipartism and Regime Change

Fri
Jul
10
In accordance with updated University guidelines on limiting public gatherings in light of COVID-19 concerns, this event will be offered virtually via Zoom. Those interested in attending should contact the Comparative Politics Field Representative Jake Turner for instructions on how to join by computer or phone.

Multipartism and Regime Change
Presenters: 
Natán Skigin, PhD student in political science, Kellogg Institute PhD fellow, and research affiliate for the Kellogg Institute's Notre Dame Violence and Transitional Justice Lab
Aníbal Pérez-Liñán, professor of political science and global affairs, Kellogg Institute faculty fellow
Discussant:
Mike Hoffman, assistant professor of political science, Kellogg Institute faculty fellow

Abstract: Prominent theories of regime change argue that the presence of multiple parties in the legislature can help stabilize dictatorships, while too many parties can destabilize presidential democracies. We show the opposite to be true: a greater number of parties poses a danger for dictatorships but not democracies. We develop a model in which executives endogenously set the number of legislative parties under dictatorship, and voters exogenously set the number of parties under democracy. Dictators face a quandary: while multipartism reduces the risk of bottom-up revolt, it also lowers the costs of a top-down transition. We provide evidence from Latin America – a region with a broad range of authoritarian regimes – between 1945 and 2010, and trace causal mechanisms in two case studies. Our findings hold for different regime classifications, with nonparametric estimators that detect nonlinearities, and instrumental variable models treating the number of parties as endogenous.

Comparative Politics Workshop 
The Comparative Politics Workshop is a graduate student-led forum geared towards presenting and discussing papers and research projects. During the academic semester, regular sessions are held at the Hesburgh Center. These meetings are open to everyone, particularly students, faculty and Kellogg Institute Visiting Fellows. Participants have the chance to present their work and receive valuable, constructive feedback from their colleagues. 
More information: Contact Comparative Politics Field Representative Jake Turner