Differences Matter: The Effect of Coup Types on Physical Integrity Rights

43 Pages Posted: 4 Dec 2018

See all articles by Christian Bjørnskov

Christian Bjørnskov

Aarhus University - Department of Economics and Business; Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN); Center for Political Studies; Institute for Corruption Studies

Katharina Pfaff

WU Vienna - Institute for Sociology and Empirical Social Research

Date Written: December 3, 2018

Abstract

What is the effect of coups d’état on repression? Do democracy-inducing, ‘good’ coups increase respect for physical integrity rights? Does it make a difference whether a coup d’état is staged by the military or a civilian leader? We argue that the impact of coups on repression varies with regime type as this determines the relative costs of repression and buying political support. Combining updated panel datasets on democracy and coups d’état from 1960 to 2010, we provide an analysis of the effects of coups on physical integrity rights, differentiating post-coup regime type. We find that post-coup democratization increases respect for physical integrity rights, while it decreases when non-democratic regimes depose democratic regimes through a coup d’état. Furthermore, civilian autocracies are more repressive than military ones after successfully ousting the previous government. These findings imply that differences in regime types do matter in research of coups d’état.

Keywords: Coups, repression, political economy

JEL Classification: D74, P16, P48

Suggested Citation

Bjørnskov, Christian and Pfaff, Katharina, Differences Matter: The Effect of Coup Types on Physical Integrity Rights (December 3, 2018). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3295281 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3295281

Christian Bjørnskov (Contact Author)

Aarhus University - Department of Economics and Business ( email )

Fuglesangs Allé 4
Aarhus V, DK-8210
Denmark

Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN) ( email )

Box 55665
Grevgatan 34, 2nd floor
Stockholm, SE-102 15
Sweden

Center for Political Studies

Landgreven 3
Copenhagen K, DK-1301
Denmark

Institute for Corruption Studies

Stevenson Hall 425
Normal, IL 61790-4200
United States

Katharina Pfaff

WU Vienna - Institute for Sociology and Empirical Social Research ( email )

Welthandelsplatz 1
Wien, 1020
Austria

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