Dictators depend on committed bureaucrats to stay in power. To instil loyalty, some indoctrinate through enforced military service. Alexander De Juan, Felix Haaß, and Jan Pierskalla warn that this strategy can backfire. Rather than creating truly convinced cadres, conscription can help bureaucrats get better at faking loyalty
Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Osnabrück
Alexander's current research focusses on the relationship between violent conflict, state-building and development.
He has published in World Politics, the British Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies and the Journal of Conflict Resolution, among others.
His previous work has been supported by grants from the German Research Foundation, the German Development Bank, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Gerda Henkel Foundation.
