: As a legal sociologist, Scheppele highlights how these leaders often enjoy genuine popularity, using their mandates to claim that "the people" want them to override restrictive legal norms. Global Context
: Leaders maintain the "outer appearance" of democracy (like holding elections) while hollowing out its liberal content, making it difficult for international observers to categorize the regime as an autocracy early on. The University of Chicago Law Review 2. The Autocratic Script: 10 Steps autocratic legalism kim lane scheppele upd
Scheppele and other scholars identify a recurring pattern used by "legalistic autocrats": The University of Chicago Law Review Win Fair Elections : Gain initial power through legitimate, free elections. Capture the Legislature : As a legal sociologist, Scheppele highlights how
Autocratic Legalism: How Democracies Die by the Letter of the Law : As a legal sociologist