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Praxis makes perfect: rebel governance, repression, and democratization

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Abstract

Rebel governance remains a curious phenomenon. Some have argued that certain manifestations of this curious behavior may even facilitate postwar democratization. Using Weibull models and a variety of measures of democracy and interpretations thereof, this paper tests three potential relationships between rebel governance and the timing of democratic transition. The first rests on the role that consultation can play in raising expectations among civilians of the same after the war’s end. The second posits that policing and juridical functions allow rebel rulers to more easily repress dissent, making democratization more remote. The third is a replication of Huang’s thesis which posits that rebels’ need of civilian material inputs gives civilians leverage in making claims of their rebel rulers. The analysis finds that consultation accelerates postwar democratization and civil mobilization accelerates partial democratization, but while policing and juridical functions appear to slow these transitions, the models are uncertain regarding this relationship.

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Acknowledgments

The author thanks Roy Licklider, Manus Midlarsky, Harvey Waterman, Caroline Hartzell, Meaghan Knight, and the anonymous reviewers for critiques and suggestions that greatly improved this article.

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  1. Department of History and Political Science, Notre Dame of Maryland University, 4701 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD, 21210, USA

    Adam Knight

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Knight, A. Praxis makes perfect: rebel governance, repression, and democratization. Int Polit (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-023-00451-x

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