UC Berkeley

This dissertation examines why citizens in autocratic contexts engage in robust forms of citizen contacting. Citizen contacting is a foundational democratic practice, yet several authoritarian regimes, including Russia, have been heavily adopting institutions that facilitate direct citizen contact with the state. Analysis from the state’s perspective reveals the many reputational, informational, and administrative benefits these types of institutions can provide. However, such analysis does not explain why citizens engage with these institutions, which for them may be perceived as political window-dressing or a highly risky enterprise in identifying oneself and one’s criticism directly to state officials. Despite these concerns, citizens in Russia are increasingly engaging in this practice, through both the state’s extensive citizen appeal and e-government systems. Through data collection from state-issued sources and an original survey, I explore the citizen’s perspective on what motivates them to interact with the state. Ultimately, I argue that the prevailing models through which Russian citizens view these systems are a Resource-based Approach and an Approach of Everyday Resistance. What my findings demonstrate is that citizens in authoritarian regimes view contacting channels as vehicles through which one can apply one’s personal resources to improve one’s own welfare and more safely exercise and express their own political voice to the state and regime.