East Asia Institute (EAI) held the 44th Smart Talk Forum with Professor Ben Smith from University of Florida on Friday, May 8, 2015. The forum focused on two main questions of why autocracies are long-lived and why some authoritarian break-downs lead to democracy in some countries but not in others. Participants discussed the role of institutions as constraints or enablers; structural determinants behind typological distinction within authoritarian regimes such as military regime, personalistic regime, or single-party regime; macro-foundational origins of durable autocracies; and methodological approach to understanding the longevity of autocratic regimes. 

Topic
“Comparative Authoritarianism: Institutions, Structural Determinants and Methodological Considerations”

Presenter
Ben SMITH, University of Florida
 
Moderator
Hyung-Min Joo , EAI; Korea University
 
Discussants
Jin Seok Bae, EAI
Jai-Kwan Jung, Korea University
Joo-Youn Jung, Korea University 
Taehee Whang, Yonsei University