ABSTRACT
Personalist regime behavior differs from that of other autocratic regimes, because it is more extreme in four areas, allowing observers to differentiate among types and study the corresponding impact along these dimensions. These so-called four pillars (coup-proofing, gatekeeping, repression and hoarding) keep personalist power structures intact. Dictators may rely on just three to stay in power, but cannot balance long on only two. Coup-proofing refers to a set of tactics to protect dictators from internal enemies, especially their own armed forces. Gatekeeping is a concept embedded in the linkage-leverage theoretical framework, which is applied to study democratization and autocratic cooperation, thus linking the model with International Relations. Repression is a feature of all regimes, but this chapter explains why personalist ones often excel at it. Hoarding then denotes the exclusion of other elites from the spoils of office, and the reorientation of patronage networks on the dictator’s inner circle. Depriving other elites from such resources actually protects the regime in the short run, because they will not have the economic means to build up alternative centers of power. This chapter studies these four pillars in depth and integrates them into a new visual middle-range model that captures their behavior, direct impact and indirect consequences.
