Research framework and broader academic knowledge base
Serbia: documented application of the same framework
Why can those in power tolerate criticism but not people who organize?
The government can sometimes suffer individual criticism because it detects a local problem, releases some of the dissatisfaction and does not have to produce a joint action on its own. It is a much more dangerous moment when people connect, share tasks, collect money, preserve evidence and agree on what they will do together.
The organization turns dissatisfaction from opinion into the ability to stop the decision, defend the fired man, supervise the election or carry out a large protest. That is why the government can allow complaints against individual officials, and at the same time stifle groups that associate the same complaints with the responsibility of the top. The practical measure is not only how harsh the word is allowed, but what happens when critics try to create a permanent network, a joint request and an independent source of money.
The most famous evidence comes from China and can not be automatically copied to every country. It is necessary to check what the domestic government really hides and what allows.
Works supporting this answer, with their evidence type and an explanation of how they relate to the claim.
a large amount of data from the Internet
King, G., Pan, J. i Roberts, M. E. (2013), „How Censorship in China Allows Government Criticism but Silences Collective Expression“, American Political Science Review 107(2): 326–343.
- Contribution to this answer
- King, Pan and Roberts find something very counterintuitive: Chinese censorship did not systematically remove even very harsh criticism of the authorities. It was much more reliable in removing content that could help people gather and act together even when the content itself was not against the authorities.
checking of digital traces and content
King, G., Pan, J. i Roberts, M. E. (2017), „How the Chinese Government Fabricates Social Media Posts for Strategic Distraction“, American Political Science Review 111(3): 484–501.
- Contribution to this answer
- “The same authors show that the government doesn’t even have to argue with critics: China’s massive operation of false revelations largely didn’t defend the government with arguments, but rather changed the subject and buried the space with positive content, especially around moments with potential for collective action.
Detailed analysis of one or several cases
Lorentzen, P. (2014), „China’s Strategic Censorship“, American Journal of Political Science 58(2): 402–414.
- Contribution to this answer
- Lorentzen explains why a certain amount of criticism can even be useful to the authoritarian government: investigative journalism reveals problems and bad local officials that the top might not otherwise know about. The risk arises when the same freedom allows people to understand that their dissatisfaction is shared by many others and to coordinate.
analysis of institutions in China
Truex, R. (2016), Making Autocracy Work: Representation and Responsiveness in Modern China, Cambridge University Press.
- Contribution to this answer
- Truex shows similar logic outside the media: the Chinese system allows “representation within borders” institutions can convey certain needs of citizens and fix insensitive problems, but without opening up space for political competition that could threaten the regime.
review more research
Toepler, S., Zimmer, A., Fröhlich, C. i Obuch, K. (2020), „The Changing Space for NGOs: Civil Society in Authoritarian and Hybrid Regimes“, VOLUNTAS 31: 649–662.
- Contribution to this answer
- Toepler and co-authors show that the same principle applies to organizations: authoritarian authorities can strangle some organizations and finance others or involve them in cooperation. Particularly important is the difference between groups that provide services or support regime discourse and those that make political demands and organize people around them.
Is a relevant source missing? Send it to us.
Suggest a source or report an error in this answer →