Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 A Theory of Power Sharing and Attributions under Authoritarian Rule
- 3 Cross-National Evidence on Power Sharing and Attributions in Autocracies
- 4 The Jordanian Monarchy’s Strategic Blame Games
- 5 How Jordanians Attribute Responsibility
- 6 Power Sharing and Attributions across Jordan’s Modern History
- 7 How Jordan’s Blame Games Influence Governance
- 8 The Royal Advantage in Power Sharing and Blame Shifting
- 9 Power Sharing, Blame, and the Collapse of Royal Regimes
- 10 Conclusion
- References
- Index
8 - The Royal Advantage in Power Sharing and Blame Shifting
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 November 2024
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 A Theory of Power Sharing and Attributions under Authoritarian Rule
- 3 Cross-National Evidence on Power Sharing and Attributions in Autocracies
- 4 The Jordanian Monarchy’s Strategic Blame Games
- 5 How Jordanians Attribute Responsibility
- 6 Power Sharing and Attributions across Jordan’s Modern History
- 7 How Jordan’s Blame Games Influence Governance
- 8 The Royal Advantage in Power Sharing and Blame Shifting
- 9 Power Sharing, Blame, and the Collapse of Royal Regimes
- 10 Conclusion
- References
- Index
Summary
Chapter 8 evaluates the argument that ruling monarchs are more effective than other types of autocrats at avoiding blame through delegation. It does so by drawing on cross-national data from around the world in addition to more specific comparisons of monarchies and republics in the Middle East. First, the chapter establishes that ruling monarchs tend to share power more credibly than presidential autocrats both in the Middle East and beyond, and it shows that this difference is recognized by people living in these regimes. Next, the chapter draws on an original survey experiment administered in Jordan, Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia, in addition to data on constitutions, to demonstrate that monarchs benefit from reduced expectations that they will govern and be held responsible for policy outcomes. These expectations imply that delegation by ruling monarchs will be more in line with how the public expects responsibility to function in the political system. The chapter concludes by tracing patterns of opposition during the Arab Spring and analyzing cross-national protest data to show that monarchs are less likely than other dictators to be targeted by mass opposition when the public is dissatisfied, suggesting their advantages in avoiding blame contribute to their resiliency.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The King Can Do No WrongBlame Games and Power Sharing in Authoritarian Regimes, pp. 236 - 276Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024