8️⃣Further steps? Investigating sectoral FDI (primary vs. secondary vs. tertiary sectors) and forms of aid (economic vs. democracy aid) could shed light on how personalism might respond to distinct types of funds💡
Check out the full paper (open access) at: doi.org/10.1017/psrm...

7️⃣Implications? Our findings shed new light on the debate about whether foreign income is a curse or a blessing for recipient countries, analyzing a different dimension of autocratic rule: personalism 🌎

6️⃣Aid increases the likelihood that dictators create paramilitary units while it reduces the need to create a new political party. FDI reduces the likelihood that dictators will control military promotions and use purges ⚔️

5️⃣Our findings? We find no robust evidence that aid or FDI are correlated with personalism, but have some effect on some of the personalism index components. What are these effects? 👇

4️⃣Our second argument? FDI's more decentralized nature and MNCs' role push the regime to reshape its organization, constraining the leader. Constraints reduce MNCs' investment risks, FDI inflows boost mutual dependency, and elites acquire new preferences, connections, and exit options👊📉

3️⃣Our first argument? Aid should be related to higher personalism since it does not require cooperation from elites to obtain it, creates dependency ties with elite members, and signals foreign support for the regime👊📈

2️⃣Personalism -or the gradual accumulation of power by dictators- is linked to a wide range of negative consequences: repression, nuclear weapons, conflict... And since WWII and especially since 1991, it has risen almost steadily!👊📈

1️⃣Aid and FDI are among the main sources of external finance of countries under autocratic rule, but differ from each other in important ways: size, volatility, donors and recipients.🌎💰

Very happy to see this out! Together with Abel Escribà-Folch @politiquesupf.bsky.social @ibei.org we explore whether foreign aid and FDI have opposing effects on dictators' personalism levels 🧵👇

👅Kicking off the Linguatrust workshop.

We will spend the day discussing fascinating papers on the relationship between language and political attitudes. @bernatpuertas.bsky.social