Is the concept of authoritarianism useful to advance the discussion of politics in the ’developing’ world? Below is a plan for essay structure and points to include in paragraphs. In addition, please do use all the sources attached, thanks. Introduction: – Introduce Authoritarianism as a concept – Authoritarianism has been used as a justification of international intervention – Certain type of authoritarianism has led to the “Developmental state”, which shows us just how complex the definition of authoritarianism can be. Can have positive outcomes on state development. – The concept of authoritarianism is vague, but can be useful to understand the reason why some countries develop – and why some fail to. Body Paragraph 1: – Explain/argue how the developmental authoritarian state solves the problem of trusteeship Body Paragraph 2 – Explain/argue how under developmental authoritarianism, for a moment, the state can decide where to invest resources – Example of a country that decided to industrialize in one sector, and not the other, and this led to development Body Paragraph 3 – Explain how success rates of authoritarian regimes vary (some fail). If the developmental state is successful, the authoritarian system can be sustainable. – Explain how tensions can develop under authoritarianism, why some attempts at developmental states fail. – Base this paragraph on source “Authoritarian Institutions and the Survival of Autocrats” Conclusion – The concept of authoritarianism can be useful to advance the discussion of politics in the developing world, but we must be more specific and analyze aspects within authoritarianism – It can have strengths which some democracies don’t (e.g. more efficient) – The concept of the developmental state does help us understand how some regimes manage to develop their country and why others fail.
