How Does Collective Action Occur and Survive in Autocracies?

• In Event: Stability and Change in Autocracy

Abstract

Ordinary people take collective action in autocracies despite repression by the authorities. How can such collective action occur and survive under tough circumstances? Existing research states that ordinary people driven by shocks mobilize through existing informal networks since the authorities target the most threatening challenges. However, it pays inadequate attention to ordinary people’s agency and the authorities’ inability. This article argues that ordinary people can differentiate roles and network themselves in collective action, increasing participation, spreading collective action, and preserving such experiences. This mode of collective action, named networked mobilization, can suffer from but survive under targeted repression. The analysis examines worker mobilization in China between 2011 and 2019, leveraging government crackdowns and unique data. Using network and difference-in-differences methods, it finds supporting results. The findings suggest that ordinary people’s ability to connect and create new networks is crucial for mobilization and, despite heavy losses, survive targeted repression in autocracies.

Author

• Yuequan Guo, WZB Berlin Social Science Center