Dr Adam Scharpf

Small Group Project 2024-25

Spinning Dictatorship: Public Relations & Lobbying in Democracies by Authoritarian States

With Alexander Dukalskis & Christian Gläßel

This project investigates authoritarian regimes hiring of public relations and lobbying firms (PRLF) in democracies. Previous research suggests that many autocrats draw on Western PRLFs to improve their image abroad and stifle criticism. Notable examples include “Tony Blair Associates,” employed to reshape Kazakh President Nazarbayev’s human rights narrative, and “Black, Manafort” which lobbied the US Congress for Zaire’s Mobutu and the Philippines’ Marcos. However, the chronic lack of data has impeded a systematic comprehension of how these firms operate in the democracies they seek to influence.

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Biography

Adam Scharpf is an Assistant Professor in Comparative Politics at the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen.

Scharpf’s work focuses on political regimes and their production of loyalty and allegiance, both nationally and internationally.

He studies why regimes and their agents behave the way they do and what impact this has on society.

A significant part of his work examines the inner workings of autocracies and their security apparatus.

Biographical details correct as of 14.02.25

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