Johannes Gerschewski is a Research Fellow at the Global Governance Unit, WZB Berlin Social Science Center. He works on democratic and autocratic theory, concept building, and questions of political ideologies. His research has appeared in the American Political Science Review, Perspectives on Politics, and Comparative Political Studies. He was awarded the 2013 Frank Cass Award and received in 2016 the Gero-Erdmann Prize for Comparative Area Studies.

'This is a landmark in the study of authoritarian stability. Gerschewski moves beyond the recent trend in understanding authoritarian regime durability as a product of material and coercive factors to reintegrate ideological and normative factors that legitimize dictatorship into our understanding. He provides a fuller picture of why authoritarianism proved to be more durable than many had anticipated.' Michael Bernhard, University of Florida

• Part I. Introduction: Part II. Theory: 1. Explaining autocratic stability; 2. Legitimation; 3. Repression; 4. Co-optation; 5. The two logics of autocratic rule; Part III. Empirical Test: 6. East Asia as a testing field; 7. Empirical explorations; 8. A systematic test; Part IV. Conclusion.

Johannes Gerschewski is a Research Fellow at the Global Governance Unit, WZB Berlin Social Science Center. He works on democratic and autocratic theory, concept building, and questions of political ideologies. His research has appeared in the American Political Science Review, Perspectives on Politics, and Comparative Political Studies. He was awarded the 2013 Frank Cass Award and received in 2016 the Gero-Erdmann Prize for Comparative Area Studies.

'This is a landmark in the study of authoritarian stability. Gerschewski moves beyond the recent trend in understanding authoritarian regime durability as a product of material and coercive factors to reintegrate ideological and normative factors that legitimize dictatorship into our understanding. He provides a fuller picture of why authoritarianism proved to be more durable than many had anticipated.' Michael Bernhard, University of Florida

• Part I. Introduction: Part II. Theory: 1. Explaining autocratic stability; 2. Legitimation; 3. Repression; 4. Co-optation; 5. The two logics of autocratic rule; Part III. Empirical Test: 6. East Asia as a testing field; 7. Empirical explorations; 8. A systematic test; Part IV. Conclusion.

Johannes Gerschewski is a Research Fellow at the Global Governance Unit, WZB Berlin Social Science Center. He works on democratic and autocratic theory, concept building, and questions of political ideologies. His research has appeared in the American Political Science Review, Perspectives on Politics, and Comparative Political Studies. He was awarded the 2013 Frank Cass Award and received in 2016 the Gero-Erdmann Prize for Comparative Area Studies.

'This is a landmark in the study of authoritarian stability. Gerschewski moves beyond the recent trend in understanding authoritarian regime durability as a product of material and coercive factors to reintegrate ideological and normative factors that legitimize dictatorship into our understanding. He provides a fuller picture of why authoritarianism proved to be more durable than many had anticipated.' Michael Bernhard, University of Florida

• Part I. Introduction: Part II. Theory: 1. Explaining autocratic stability; 2. Legitimation; 3. Repression; 4. Co-optation; 5. The two logics of autocratic rule; Part III. Empirical Test: 6. East Asia as a testing field; 7. Empirical explorations; 8. A systematic test; Part IV. Conclusion.