2 - Measuring Authoritarian Tendencies in Belarus, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine

Summary

To give a clear understanding of authoritarian learning, the chapter provides a research design and methodology for better investigating authoritarian learning. Using the four cases of Belarus, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine we analyse the different aspects of authoritarian learning. Methodologically we use process-tracing and interviews to investigate the nuances of authoritarian learning. While not all the four case studies can be classified as authoritarian regimes, there are periods of attempted authoritarian consolidation in each and there are some elites with authoritarian tendencies across the four cases studied. The chapter offers research questions that the rest of the book will investigate to better understand the distinctions of authoritarian learning