Keio University Syllabus and Timetable

Authoritarianism is, in its original sense, a political concept referring to nondemocratic political procedures. Yet authoritarian regimes intervene not only in politics but also in the economy and society as they construct distinctive institutional arrangements to secure legitimacy and ensure political survival. Such interventions manifest in the promotion of economic development, the use of market mechanisms and global economic integration, censorship, propaganda, and information gathering, incentive structures for bureaucrats, political connections and corruption, the strengthening of state-owned enterprises and strategic investment in the private sector, and industrial innovation policies, among others.
Why, then, should authoritarianism be addressed in the study of economic systems? During the Cold War, the Comparative Economics focused primarily on contrasting capitalist market economies with socialist planned economies. After the systemic transitions in the socialist bloc, this binary appeared to dissolve into a convergence toward capitalist market economies. However, what gradually emerged in the post–Cold War era was authoritarianism. In recent years, it has been described as “political capitalism,” “authoritarian capitalism,” or “state-led capitalism.” Amid the persistence and evolution of authoritarian regimes, the importance of examining economic issues under authoritarian rule has, regrettably, only increased. This course explores the intellectual lineage of such studies, including not only former socialist states but also theories of Asian developmental dictatorships.
The course also addresses the methodological approaches to studying authoritarian regimes. Research on authoritarianism faces unique constraints—such as limited data access and the presence of self-censorship—which shape distinctive methodological choices. In closed regimes, scholarship has relied on close reading of newspapers and public documents and on limited interviews; when fieldwork became possible in some contexts, interview-based research and survey data analysis expanded. In recent years, alternative data approaches—such as large-scale personnel records, text-as-data methods, and satellite data—have become increasingly prominent. The course examines these methodological developments in detail.
Finally, the economic issues associated with authoritarianism have implications far beyond archetypical authoritarian states. Concerns about populism and “democratic backsliding” are rising even in “democratic countries” such as India and the United States. Furthermore, against the backdrop of intensifying geopolitical risks—illustrated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and worsening U.S.–China relations—and amid social challenges such as migration, there is growing demand for strong political leaders and strong governments across many countries, including those in Western Europe. As a result, once “soft cases” beyond strictly authoritarian regimes are included, the scope of relevant debates becomes significantly broader.
Against this backdrop, this course examines key economic issues under authoritarian rule. Its goals are for students to understand and explain: 1) the major debates surrounding authoritarian economies after World War II; 2) the intellectual and research traditions in this field; 3) the constraints inherent in studying authoritarian regimes and strategies to overcome them; and 4) the latest methodological approaches and empirical findings.

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It is desirable for students to have read the relevant references in advance.

Students will be evaluated based on weekly response sheets, a midterm exam, and a final exam.

In this course, the use of generative AI is permitted in limited ways. Specifically, students may use AI in the following situations:
- Assisting with idea generation and the conceptualization stage
- Developing outlines or structural plans for assignments
- Supplementary support for research (however, students are responsible for verifying the accuracy of all information)
Please follow the following guidelines:
- If you use AI, you must clearly indicate this in your submission (e.g., “Outline created with Gemini”).
- Unauthorized reproduction of AI-generated text or the use of information without identifiable sources may be considered academic misconduct.
- For the actual writing of reports and assignments, independent thinking is required, and the use of AI is prohibited.

None

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