Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2025

Chick ex ovo Culture and ex ovo CAM Assay: How it Really Works
Published on: November 30, 2009
Autocratic Legalism, Partisanship, and Popular Legitimation in Authoritarian Cameroon
Natalie Wenzell Letsa1, Yonatan L Morse2
1Assistant Professor, Department of International and Area Studies, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, US.
Abstract:
Authoritarian regimes regularly turn to the law to justify repression. This article examines whether invoking legal institutions has a persuasive effect on public perceptions of repression, and whether that effect is shaped by partisanship. The article uses the case of Cameroon's Special Criminal Tribunal, created in 2011 to prosecute high-profile corruption cases. A survey experiment was designed that describes the arrest and trial of a suspected corrupt oppositional minister and reminds a treatment group about the Special Criminal Tribunal. The results show that neither regime nor opposition partisans are swayed by legal justifications for repression. By contrast, nonpartisans respond negatively to autocratic legalism, particularly those with low levels of regime trust. The article clarifies when autocratic legalism might be used for public legitimation, suggests that partisanship is a useful lens for understanding public opinion in an autocracy, and elaborates upon the meaning of nonpartisanship in electoral authoritarian regimes.
Related Concept Videos
Parenting Styles
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...
Milgram's Obedience to Authority
Social Proof
Sources of Law
Constitutional law is foundational, deriving from federal and state constitutions, and...
Cell Adhesion Molecules - Types and Functions
CAM Families
The Integrin family of proteins is primarily involved...
Fundamental Attribution Error

