Autocracy 2.0

In 2008, the world watched in awe as 2,008 men pounded Fou drums in unison at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony―a spectacle that heralded China’s arrival as a global powerhouse. Yet even as China’s economy skyrocketed, skeptics scoffed at its ability to lead in tech, arguing that its authoritarian institutions smother true innovation. Jennifer Lind dismantles this assumption, showing that China has not just kept pace; it has, in fact, surged ahead.

Coupling hard data with razor-sharp analysis, Lind shows that China’s ascent was fueled by what she calls “smart authoritarianism”: a model of governance in which autocratic leaders temper tight political control with inclusive economic measures. By balancing pro-innovation policies with tools of repression, China’s leaders have obtained political control and economic growth. These smart authoritarians, Lind observes, are not the brass-knuckled dictators of the past―they are their polished Savile Row-clad progeny, and they are found not only in China but also in authoritarian regimes worldwide.