Study Finds 2 Career Pressures Can Drive Norm Violations in Authoritarian Regimes
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 18
Study Finds 2 Career Pressures Can Drive Norm Violations in Authoritarian Regimes
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 18
New research by Adam Scharpf and Christian Glassel argues that lower- and midlevel officials in authoritarian systems often break rules to advance stalled careers, not because of ideology or fear alone.
Argentina’s Dirty War provided the core evidence: the authors found low-performing military personnel disproportionately entered the secret police, where service let them bypass normal hierarchies and win promotions.
That mechanism suggests autocrats can recruit enforcers by targeting frustrated, mediocre workers with modest career rewards rather than relying mainly on true believers, lavish incentives or severe coercion.
The findings broaden how scholars explain authoritarian durability, shifting attention from elite loyalty to the rank-and-file bureaucrats, officers and security personnel who carry out repression.
Is career ambition, not ideology, the true engine of authoritarian regimes?
Can AI overcome the 'autocrat's dilemma' to build a perfect surveillance state?