By Jacob Thomas, Dept. of Sociology
Monday, May 18, 20203:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Abstract:
Why might an authoritarian government decide to prevent the exit of some dissidents whom it believes threaten its legitimacy, but not others? While a dissident is abroad the government might be able to limit their political influence over other citizens. But abroad the dissident can accumulate greater financial and social resources and recklessly damage the reputation of the regime via “long-distance nationalism” and avoid punishment. I analyze whether China has barred the exit of 158 dissidents with respect to their demographic traits, their relations with foreign governments and societies, and what they advocated. China is more likely to permit the exit of dissidents if they advocate for democratization and have won a foreign award, and China is more likely to prevent it if the dissidents are ethnic minorities and if they have been recently charged. Historical evidence corroborates these findings and reveals variation amongst different advocacy groups and across time. This paper contributes insights on how governments politically control the exit of dissidents based on their individual-level traits.
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