Political Repression and Economic Doctrines

Abstract

Recent studies linking political repression to free-market economic policy have failed to explain fully the relationship. To uncover important theoretical linkages, this article will examine the principles behind policy and argue that increases in governments' use of force are principally a function of: (1) shifts in economic stabilization doctrines from structuralist to orthodox, which are prompted by severe economic crises, and (2) strengthened alliances between ruling elites and international financial institutions partial to orthodox deflationary strategies. Multiple regression analysis on time-series data from Argentina over a 23-year period provides a strong statistical confirmation for these suppositions, even when holding constant for particular regime types. A historical narrative has been provided to buttress these results by establishing the precise timing and sequence of events that precipitated the use of coercion by state leaders.