Research framework and broader academic knowledge base
Serbia: documented application of the same framework
How does the government build a major advantage long before election day?
The government can build a great advantage long before elections are called. It turns functions and official travel into a permanent campaign, uses public projects and budgets to reward desirable environments, provides much greater space in the media and puts companies, donors and employees at risk if they support opponents.
It can change the electoral rules, the boundaries of the units, the composition of the electoral bodies or the conditions of financing while the opposition does not yet have the strength to react. Thus, the difference on the day of voting arises not only from the support of voters, but also from unequal access to money, information, people and protection. The practical question is whether the advantages of the government are the result of its political work or the use of public position and resources that are not available to any opponent.
The fact that the government is more visible is not an abuse in itself. It is necessary to show that it used public money, a position or rules that were not available to opponents.
Works supporting this answer, with their evidence type and an explanation of how they relate to the claim.
Explain how the system works
Greene, K. F. (2007), Why Dominant Parties Lose, Cambridge University Press.
- Contribution to this answer
- Greene shows how the government derives resources, organization and visibility from the control of the state long before the campaign. The advantage is built for years through access to money, jobs and institutions, and not just during the election day.
comparing several countries or cases
Schedler, A. (2013), The Politics of Uncertainty: Sustaining and Subverting Electoral Authoritarianism, Oxford University Press.
- Contribution to this answer
- “Schedler shows that the government can shape the entire electoral arena in advance from media and candidacy to rules, administration and access to resources so that the opposition enters the campaign with an already built-in handicap.
Explain how the system works
Gehlbach, S. i Sonin, K. (2014), „Government Control of the Media“, Journal of Public Economics 118: 163–171.
- Contribution to this answer
- Gehlbach and Sonin show how control or influence on the media can systematically change the information that voters receive and how convincing that information is. This creates a structural advantage of the authorities before voting begins.
review more research
Moustafa, T. (2014), „Law and Courts in Authoritarian Regimes“, Annual Review of Law and Social Science 10: 281–299.
- Contribution to this answer
- Moustafa shows how formally independent institutions in autocracy can have selective boundaries precisely in politically sensitive issues. For electoral advantage, this work is indirect, but it helps to understand how the legal protection of the opposition can be weaker than it looks on paper.
Study of Serbia
Petrović, V. (2026), „Under Pressure: The Politics of Clientelism and Coercion in Serbia“, Democratization.
Petrović, V. (2026), “Under Pressure: The Politics of Clientelism and Coercion in Serbia”, Democratization.
- Contribution to this answer
- Petrovic shows how dependence on public work, services or political networks creates pressure that exists long before voting. This builds political advantage into everyday life, not just a formal campaign.
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