Who Runs the World?

The International Monetary Fund is meant to help governments stabilize their economies during economically turbulent times, but sometimes these programs create protests; why? Research conducted with Dr Bernhard Reinsberg (University of Glasgow) shows that politicians seeking political advantage with these loans concentrate the benefits of these programs to their supporters but punish supporters of the political opposition with the costs of these economic reforms. This leads to protests primarily from opposition supporters who are hurt by how their governments implement austerity and economic reforms agreed upon with the Fund.

Were you ever curious about how autocracies run their show? Forget the standard brew of master puppeteers pulling all the strings, as our new book serves up a cocktail of autonomous state institutions with a twist on the functionalist literature. From parliamentary bitters to constitutional cordials, this talk reveals an unconventional recipe of autocratic governance and statecraft that will leave you pondering all sorts of hidden power dynamics.