Citizens and the state in authoritarian regimes: comparing China and Russia

In: Oxford scholarship online

Abstract

This volume compares the two most powerful authoritarian states in global politics today: Russia and China. For all their power and money, both regimes have faced difficult trade-offs in seeking both political stability and reliable information about society while confronting the West and its international influence. They have also made different choices: Russia today is a competitive authoritarian regime, while China is a non-competitive authoritarian regime. Despite the different paths taken after the tumultuous events of 1989, both regimes have returned to a more personalized form of authoritarian rule.