Research on the International Dimensions of Authoritarian Regimes highlighted at ECPR in Prague

GIGA-coordinated research on the international dimensions of authoritarian regimes was in the spotlight at an international conference that brought together 2,000 scholars of political science earlier this month. Members of the IDCAR network presented six panels at this year's General Conference of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) in Prague, the largest political science event in Europe.

With topics ranging from regime learning, norm building, the diffusion of both conflict and the restriction of civil liberties, regional organisations, and their linkages to authoritarianism, the IDCAR panels took stock of past and current developments in authoritarian states around the globe and explored the scholarly analysis of these developments.

Drawing researchers from all sub-disciplines of political science and at all career stages, the ECPR's General Conference provided an excellent environment to exchange ideas and discuss controversial issues, said Thomas Richter, a GIGA senior research fellow and IDCAR principal investigator. “ECPR in Prague was really an important platform in an unforgettable environment to gather with colleagues on such an important topic as the diffusion and cooperation of authoritarian regimes. ”

The IDCAR research network has been investigating the international diffusion and cooperation of authoritarian regimes since 2014. The network is comprised of universities in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany and is coordinated by the GIGA. Among recent contributions is a Monkey Cage article by the director of the Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS), Marc Lynch.

The IDCAR network will hold a conference entitled “International Resistance to Democratization: Is it Really All About Authoritarian Co-operation?” at Nuffield College, Oxford, at the end of this week.