ABSTRACT
The conceptual chapter develops the underlying notion of “Authoritarian Gravity Centres” (AGCs). Literature has only recently begun to close gaps regarding the questions of how, why, and when autocratic regimes try to promote and/or diffuse autocratic practices, ideas, and norms. By presenting the concept of AGCs, this chapter aims at making a conceptual contribution to better capture and explain possible mechanisms of autocratization by distinguishing between sources and addressees, mechanisms and motives of authoritarian pressure and attraction. The concept is then tested for the three cases: Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Kazakhstan.
