The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics

The authors describe three political groups that leaders need to navigate. What are these three groups, and how do variations in their sizes help us understand politics? Why do the authors prefer to use these categories to describe political forms over commonly used terms like “autocracy” and “democracy”?

What are the five basic rules that leaders can use to succeed in any system? Describe how each of these rules works in both small- and large-coalition systems, citing examples from the text.

What are the main ways in which leaders come to power and stay in power? Do autocratic and democratic leaders follow the same mechanisms? Provide empirical claims from the book to support your position.