Autocratizing

Autocratizing is the process by which political power becomes increasingly concentrated in the hands of a single ruler or a narrow elite, with diminishing accountability to citizens. In political science, it describes a trend away from democratic governance toward autocratic rule, often while formal institutions remain in place. The term is used to contrast with democratization and stresses a gradual erosion of liberal-democratic norms rather than a sudden coup.

Key mechanisms include centralizing authority across the executive, legislature, judiciary, and security services; restricting or manipulating elections; narrowing political competition; suppressing independent media and civil society; and using emergency powers or constitutional changes to extend leadership tenure. Patronage, coercion, and control of information can reinforce a regime’s dominance, while exclusionary rhetoric or nationalist appeals legitimize power concentration and marginalize opponents or minority groups.

Indicators of autocratization include declines in political rights and civil liberties, weakened checks and balances, eroded rule of law, predictable harassment or imprisonment of political rivals, and increasing control over media and the judiciary. External factors such as economic stress or geopolitical pressures can contribute, but domestic institutional weaknesses are often decisive.

Scholars monitor autocratization with democracy indices and event trackers that record shifts in governance quality, highlighting that progress in formal institutions does not guarantee sustained democratic practice. Restoration typically requires independent institutions, legal constraints on executive power, and broad social mobilization.