Polity Atlas
TheorySource attached · not independently reviewedCLM-1042 · as of 2026-10-30 · about: The dictator's information problem · Author: Polity Atlas editorial team

“Wintrobe's dictator's dilemma holds that the more a ruler relies on repression, the less he can know about his true level of support, because subjects who fear punishment hide disloyalty.”

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Context

Regularizing Rioting: Permitting Public Protest in an Authoritarian Regime

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