Why do dictators sometimes allow opposition groups to publish their own media and at other times forbid them from doing so? Stafford argues that when dictators allow opposition media, it is to signal the ability of their regimes to withstand protest. Presenting evidence from a case study of Tunisia and original data from across the Middle East and North Africa, he shows that non-democratic governments are most likely to allow opposition media when domestic and international factors favor regime stability.

Paste your embed code here