­New article by Erik Vollmann: How environmental policy helps to polish up the image of authoritarian regimes

Together with Katharina Nicolai, Erik Vollmann from the Chair of Political Systems and Comparative Politics (TUD) has published a new article on environmental narratives of the Moroccan king in Democratization. The article in the renowned political science journal (latest impact factor 3.7) shows how authoritarian regimes use normatively positive topics to present their rule and international cooperation in a positive light.

The article entitled "The king's speeches: environmental sustainability as a discursive legitimation project in autocracies. Evidence from Morocco" analyzes how authoritarian regimes strategically use positive topics such as environmental and sustainability narratives for political legitimation. Using a comprehensive discourse analysis, the authors show that "sustainability" is primarily used as a performative narrative of success and image - internally to justify effective governance and externally to strengthen international recognition.

The regime, but above all the monarchy, is portrayed as a guarantor of prosperity and progress internally and as a fighter for climate justice on behalf of the African continent externally.
Although Morocco is internationally regarded as a pioneer of the energy transition, there is often a gap between rhetoric and implementation. Sustainability is less about democratic openness and more about authoritarian stabilization and positioning Morocco as a regional leader in Africa.

The study thus makes an important contribution to understanding modern legitimation strategies of authoritarian rule. It shows how normatively positive projects are also used in non-democracies to cultivate their image and how this makes it possible to present oneself as a reliable regional and international partner without addressing deficits in democratization and human rights records. While the role of narratives and discourses in securing the rule of autocracies is often postulated, this study is one of the few to systematically examine this empirically.