Experts on government regimes classify as illiberal those government systems that do not meet most of the criteria in Table 1 (see Thursday’s post). Ambitious people in illiberal regimes can rig some or all parts of the system in favor of one political leader, group, or party because there are few protected political and civil rights – or because rights are not evenly protected across groups. Power becomes concentrated in the hands of just a few. Good ideas from those out of power are often never heard or quickly rejected.[1]
Excerpted from America: Democracy or Republic?
Image: President Maduro of Venezuela, AFP/Juan Barreto
[1] Many historical illustrations of this point can be found in Chapter 8 of Acemoglu and Robinson (2012) Why Nations Fail.
