---

Susanne Michalik analyzes why authoritarian regimes allow for multiparty elections and how they affect political outcomes. Even though their introduction rarely leads to a change in power, such elections should not be regarded as mere window-dressing. She argues that competitive elections are installed to deal with a split among the incumbent elite and to facilitate the formation of a new ruling coalition. In a cross-national study the author finds that elections matter and the ruling party does more than just manipulate election results in order to be reelected. Incumbents provide a mix of public goods and targeted public goods depending on the level of electoral competition they are experiencing. The outcome of authoritarian multiparty elections in the form of the legislature´s party composition also has an effect on the regime´s international relations in the form of foreign aid allocation.

---

The Introduction of Multiparty Elections in Authoritarian Regimes.- Authoritarian Multiparty Elections: Boon or Bane for Public Policies?.- Foreign Aid for Multiparty Authoritarian Regimes.

---

Susanne Michalik is working as a researcher at the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

---