Presentation at the 6th Conference on the Political Economy of Democracy and Dictator­ship

Sabine Carey is presenting a joint project with Anita Gohdes and Neil Mitchell at the 6th International Conference on the Political Economy of Democracy and Dictator­ship (PEDD) at the University of Münster, 23–25 February 2023. This project asks whether auxiliary armed forces help leaders stay in power. Initial results suggest that while pro-government militias in general do not contribute to leader­ship tenure, leaders that can rely on auxiliary forces that are directly connected to them stay in power for longer than those without a direct link to such armed group. A direct link seems to signal loyalty more effectively than co-ethnic or co-religious militia forces.