ABSTRACT
A common type of authoritarian state that allows elections but precludes political change is one dominated by a single party. ‘Dominant party states’ are usually a result of a conservative, elite-driven trend that opposes civil society activism, and of the eective marginalisation of the poor from the political struggle (see Jones 2014 re Myanmar’s future). What is important is the institutionalisation of elite-driven politics. That this is, at least in part, a reection of political economy is not in dispute. But, rather, there are a number of other factors at play, including the eective depoliticisation of many marginalised citizens, the resonance of both ‘traditional’ and ‘charismatic’ authority, and the use of politicised state institutions in support of the dominant party.
