Migration Premium for Authoritarian Survival

• In Event: Learning from Global Democratic Challenges and Innovations Mini-Conference III: Migration as Part of the Authoritarian Toolkit

Abstract

This paper discusses the strategies adopted by authoritarian regimes to silence the voices of citizens living abroad. Drawing from interviews with Zimbabweans living abroad and a study of their voting patterns I show that authoritarian regimes benefit from a migration premium. When would-be opposition voters leave the country the ruling party has room to manipulate political outcomes in their favor.

Author

• Chipo Dendere