Measuring Authoritarianism Through State Punishment

Due to targeted voter suppression efforts in the U.S., increases in anti-protest legislation, and shifts towards electoral autocracy in countries such as India and Hungary, concerns about rising authoritarianism are becoming increasingly urgent. Thus far, academic approaches to understanding authoritarianism have focused on the roles of ideology, norms, and perceived threat by outgroups. Doctoral student in psychology Nicolette Dakin proposes examining the role of behavior, specifically the willingness to misuse state punishment on political opponents, to better understand and measure authoritarianism. She will conduct surveys for her study.