Abstract
We analyze the role of the military as an independent interest group within the State, based on the two-player theoretical framework of Acemoglu and Robinson (Economic origins of dictatorship and democracy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2006); we innovate by introducing the military as a third player, a specialist in violence. In particular, we study the conditions under which a democratic regime can prevent a transition to an authoritarian regime via a military coup, when a coup requires the support of both the military and the elite sections of the civilian population. We carry out an historical case study of Pakistan to motivate and illustrate our argument, and show that Pakistan’s three coups since independence are associated with parameter shifts in our model.
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We thank Sami Alpanda, Adam Honig, the editor, and an anonymous referee for comments.
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Bhave, A., Kingston, C. Military coups and the consequences of durable de facto power: the case of Pakistan. Econ Gov 11, 51–76 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10101-009-0068-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10101-009-0068-9