Dialogue with the Dictator: Authoritarian Legitimation and Information Management - Hannah Chapman

Hannah Chapman presents a theory of how non-democratic regimes use seemingly democratic forms of communication and participation to bolster regime legitimacy and mitigate information dilemmas. She argues that autocrats develop and maintain participatory technologies—elite-mass communication strategies that promote increased interaction between the public and individuals in power—as a tool of legitimation and information management in authoritarian regimes. About the Speaker: Dr. Hannah Chapman is the Karen and Adeed Dawisha Assistant Professor of Political Science at Miami University and a faculty associate at the Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies. Her research examines political participation, information management, and public opinion in Russia and the former Soviet Union.