The Consolidation of State Power
The consolidation of state power to an autonomous body that is not accountable to the people according to the constitution due to limited political independence is referred to as an authoritarian regime.
Political Institutions and Authoritarianism
Political institutions are synonymous with and practice authoritarian governments, and are considered to reduce democracy. Authoritarian means that a political group, administration, or authority has a fixed term of regulation. Accountability in repressive regimes happens only horizontally within elites. In the fact that liberal authoritarian rule allows for dissent, legislature, and involvement, institutions that extend dictatorial authority seem to continue imposing tyranny on the population. Some of the political regimes include; electoral rules, a form of government, government fractionalization, and federal structure. Political institutions are necessary to help in the transition from authoritarian to democratic rule. Systems that tend to extend authoritarian regimes are highly centralized, and decisions are concentrated at the highest level of leadership/management. In the mentioned institutions, there is limited public participation due to the supremacy of the leader and intimidation of opposition. Institutions are crucial in stabilizing authoritarian politics by reducing conflicts thereby preventing suffering by citizens in case of any destabilization. For institutions to successfully and adequately regulate the strict rule, they need therefore to be self-enforcing in practice (Ezrow, & Frantz, 2011, Pg. 7).
Institutions that Extend Life of Authoritarian Regimes
Institutions that are founded on power sharing of the ruling elites are seen to stabilize authoritarian regime thereby extending the ruling period. The stabilization is achieved through diversion of the rulers from being committed and accountable for the actions and decisions of the people.
Impact of Institutions on the Economy
Political institutions have differing effects on the economy depending on the type of authority in power. For Example, political institutions operating in authoritarian regimes are known to have negative impacts on the economy of the relevant country as opposed to those agencies that serve in democratic administrations. At times, organizations associated with authoritarian regimes tend to increase opportunistic behavior of the economic and political players which slows down development. The political institutions tend to stimulate inequality as they mostly concentrate power and incentives on the elites thereby triggering underdevelopment in some sectors (Reuter, & Robertson, 2015, Pg. 238). Political institutions are supposed to offer incentives for politicians to comply with but for institutions that support authoritarian regimes tend to under supervise and regulate those in power when they misappropriate public resources that would otherwise be used in development. Besides, the political institutions engage in behaviors that result in slow economic growth such as overtaxing. Extension of authoritarian regimes is associated with smaller economic growth. In authoritarian regimes extension of the rule of one leader results in retarded economic growth due to weakened institutions that fail to ensure strict adherence to set rules and regulations. Institutions influence positive outcomes when they provide strict granting of human rights to the society thereby resulting in satisfactory economic performance (Boix, & Svolik, 2013, Pg. 308). It is achieved by allowing expression of citizens regarding social development and areas concerning or affecting the society as a whole as well as the contribution of political elites.
The Role of the Legislature
The Legislature is one of the institutions that tend to extend the authoritarian regime by passing laws that protect the governance in place. The Legislature is in charge of passing rules that govern the country and the leadership. Some of the laws passed favor the elites in power and foster their continuance in power. The president in power signs most of the bills that support him as executive and legislature are related and work together. Also, Authoritarian leadership in most cases has the majority in parliament thereby making it possible to control most of the committees and other institutions in the country. The Legislature is also in charge of scrutinizing the civil servants' accountability and performance as well as misconduct. The parliaments tend to protect political elites in power who go against the law by failing to subject them to the relevant authority for disciplinary action. The aspect of overprotecting misconduct results in underdevelopment, and downgrading of leaders' integrity and accountability.
Bibliography
Boix, C., & Svolik, M. (2013). The Foundations of Limited Authoritarian Government:
Institutions, Commitment, and Power-Sharing in Dictatorships. The Journal of Politics, 75(2), 300-316.
Ezrow, N., & Frantz, E. (2011). State Institutions And The Survival Of Dictatorships. Journal of
International Affairs,65(1), 1-13.
Reuter, O., & Robertson, G. (2015). Legislatures, Cooptation, and Social Protest in
Contemporary Authoritarian Regimes. The Journal of Politics, 77(1), 235-248.
Schuh, S., Zhang, X., & Tian, P. (2013). For the Good or the Bad? Interactive Effects of
Transformational Leadership with Moral and Authoritarian Leadership Behaviors. Journal of Business Ethics,116(3), 629-640.
