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Detailed Information
Title
Author
Dmitry Dagaev, et al.
Institution
National Research University Higher School of Economics, University of California, University of Chicago
Abstract

Most, if not all, post-World War II non-constitutional exits from power by recently-installed leaders have been caused by elite coups, not popular uprisings. The recent experience of Egypt, where the post-Mubarak government collapsed after almost uninterrupted protests since its first day in office, offers a striking counterexample to this pattern. Our theoretical model, incorporating protest into a dynamic Downsian framework, features the significant role of social media and the absence of partisan or personalized leadership. In equilibrium, it is possible to have recurrent protests. Moreover, even non-radical incumbents with wide support can suffer from them. We show that recurrent revolutions feature the emergence of new dictators on the opposite side of the political spectrum.

Date of Publication
Recommended citation
Dagaev, Dmitry and Lamberova, Natalia and Sobolev, Anton and Sonin, Konstantin, Recurrent Revolutions (October 30, 2015).
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