The Microfoundations of Hybrid Regimes: Emotions, Participation, and Accountability

Do citizens sanction repressive incumbents at the ballot box for their use of state repression? Do they express their discontent by protesting? The proliferation of hybrid regimes that are repressive and resilient suggests that it is not the case. While at the macro level hybrid regimes are generally stable, in the sense that they remain in power longer than their counterparts in consolidated democracies, at the individual-level, voters may be reinforcing the longevity of hybrid regimes. This dissertation is a microfoundational study of hybrid regimes and argues that emotional repression undermines political participation and accountability by discouraging dissent, thereby allowing repressive incumbents to secure electoral victory through consecutive reelections.