Misperceptions and demand for democracy under authoritarianism
A common view, often attributed to French philosopher Joseph de Maistre, holds that nations get the governments they deserve. This idea is frequently invoked to explain the persistence of authoritarian regimes in countries like China and Russia, where, according to some scholars (e.g. Huntington 1997, Gessen 2017, Mitter and Johnson 2021), there is insufficient demand…