Arbitrary governance and modern authoritarianism
Researching the microdynamics of public authority in Uganda
Scholars of authoritarianism have increasingly noted a trend in which democratic institutions have been hollowed out to facilitate the exercise of arbitrary power. Studying the micro-dynamics of public authority and governance, including the activities of vigilantes, militias, and community police, new research contributes a view from below on everyday practices of modern authoritarianism.
Studying the micro-dynamics of public authority and governance contributes a view from below on everyday practices of modern authoritarianism.
This projeced analysed hundreds of interviews and non-participant observation of local security arrangements in Uganda to uncover how unpredictable state intervention can destabilise societal organisation needed to hold rulers accountable, while leaving democratic institutions formally intact.
Researchers
Rebecca Tapscott
Dr Rebecca Tapscott is an Ambizione fellow at the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy at the Graduate Institute in Geneva and concurrently a Visiting Fellow at LSE's Centre for Public Authority and International Development and Edinburgh's Political and International Relations Department. Her research focuses on political violence, authoritarianism and masculinity in low-capacity states, with a regional focus on sub-Saharan Africa.
Research interests: statebuilding, democratic governance, armed conflict, violence
Regions: UgandaEmail: rebecca.tapscott@graduateinstitute.ch
Twitter: @rtapscott