The Shadow Cost of State Violence: Evidence From Bureaucratic Purges in China
Published online on February 09, 2026
Abstract
Comparative Political Studies, Ahead of Print.
State violence inflicts obvious direct costs on its victims, but many of its significant consequences may be indirect. Building on the literature on principal-agent problems in authoritarian regimes, we argue that coercion against bureaucrats motivates ...
State violence inflicts obvious direct costs on its victims, but many of its significant consequences may be indirect. Building on the literature on principal-agent problems in authoritarian regimes, we argue that coercion against bureaucrats motivates ...