The political economy of digital authoritarianism: evidence from the Iranian regime's implementation of technology

Abstract

A strong but complex interplay is emerging between the politico-economic and digital aspects of authoritarianism, raising questions as to how this relates to the existing political economy of authoritarianism that has been observed over the course of many decades. This article asks: Are the politico-economic dynamics that have long shaped authoritarianism also relevant to understanding digital authoritarianism? To answer the question, this article identifies three mechanisms through which the longstanding politico-economic dynamics of authoritarianism also shape the implementation of digital authoritarianism. These mechanisms are then exemplified and illustrated with evidence from Iran. It contributes to the emerging literature on the political economy of digital authoritarianism, making two key findings. First, digital authoritarianism is subject to the same politico-economic constraints that shaped the pre-digital operating environment the authoritarian state. Second, this complex and longstanding politico-economic context plays a key role in shaping and bounding a regime’s survival-driven technology agenda.