The Autocratic Middle Class: How State Dependency Reduces the Demand for Democracy (Princeton Studies in Political Behavior)

The Autocratic Middle Class: How Dependence on the State Impedes Democratization is a groundbreaking book that challenges conventional wisdom about the relationship between economic growth, development, and democracy.

Drawing on extensive fieldwork in post-Soviet countries, Rosenfeld reveals how middle-class economic dependence on the state can actually strengthen authoritarianism, rather than promote democratization.

This thought-provoking book provides a vital contribution to our understanding of the complex factors that shape political outcomes and will be essential reading for anyone interested in questions of development and democratization.