New research uncovers how mediocre employees help aspiring authoritarians maintain power.
Autocratic leaders cannot rule alone. Historically, figures like Vladimir V. Putin in Russia, the Revolutionary Guards in Iran, and Viktor Orban in Hungary have depended on support from elite circles and loyal individuals. These leaders need their power preserved not only by high-level officials but also by many military officers, secret police, and bureaucrats.
Researchers had historically focused more on why elite officials remain loyal, neglecting how those in lower positions are recruited. While fear of persecution or ideological extremism are common assumptions, recent studies propose another reason: career pressures.
Data from Argentina’s Dirty War period reveals that mediocre employees often engage in unethical actions for career benefits. The study suggests these individuals are largely motivated by stagnating careers and prospects of minor promotions rather than ideologies or coercion. They are neither extremists nor victims, just workers seeking career advancement.
A book by political scientists Adam Scharpf and Christian Glassel, “Making a Career in Dictatorship,” examines the behavior of Argentina’s military. It shows that “career-pressured” individuals, seen as low performers, found opportunities in the secret police, bypassing ordinary hierarchies to achieve promotions impossible otherwise.
This research indicates that authoritarians do not need extreme measures to consolidate power. Targeting frustrated and mediocre employees seems to be an effective strategy for expanding influence and control.