In dictatorships, colleges aren't where the rebels hang out—they're actually the main headquarters for pro-government rallies.
SSRN · March 13, 2026 · 6304138
Why it matters
Contrary to the Western assumption that campuses are natural sites for anti-government protest, autocrats successfully turn them into tools for state support. They do this by aligning student organizations with career incentives in the public sector, making university density a reliable predictor of pro-government rallies.
From the abstract
Universities are widely viewed as hotbeds of dissent and anti-government protest. This study complements and complicates this understanding by showing that, in autocratic regimes, universities also function as vehicles of pro-government mobilization. Authoritarian governments cultivate regime-affiliated student organizations and align incentives, particularly through public-sector career opportunities, to organize and sustain state-led participation on campuses. We show this argument through a m