Articles by Lars Pelke

May 31, 2023

How (not) to measure China’s autocratic influence

Lars Pelke

Several liberal democracies view the People’s Republic of China no longer as a strategic partner, but as a systemic rival. Yet how intense is China’s influence? The China Index seeks to measure this influence across different domains. This is a welcome first step, but it is not without far-reaching flaws, write Lars Pelke and Katrin Kinzelbach

Why autocrats redistribute income and wealth

Lars Pelke

It is a common assumption that autocrats have no incentive to redistribute income and wealth. Not so, says Lars Pelke. Uncertainty about the outcomes of autocratic elections can incentivise dictators to redistribute wealth, especially when the incumbents’ ruling coalition is inclusive

Lars Pelke

Postdoctoral Researcher, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Lars is involved in a joint research project with the V-Dem Institute on Academic Freedom Index: An Innovative Resource for Research and for Protecting Freedom in the Academic Sector.

He is also associate researcher at the Varieties of Democracy Institute, Gothenburg.

Lars is interested in authoritarian regimes, conceptualisation and measurement of regime transformations, the political economy of inequalities, and determinants and consequences of academic freedom.

Before joining the FAU in February 2022, Lars was research fellow and lecture at Heidelberg University and research fellow at the German Institute of Global and Area Studies.

He tweets @LarsPelke

Personal website

The Loop

Cutting-edge analysis showcasing the work of the political science discipline at its best.