Rebel victory and constitutional change
摘要
How do rebel regimes consolidate power while staying true to their revolutionary goals? Though some studies have found that revolutions can be efficiency-enhancing, our analysis of victorious rebellions from 1946 to 2021 and case studies from Ethiopia and Afghanistan finds that successful rebels establish constitutions that involve selective enforcement of property rights. Rebel-led constitutions tend to include provisions for private property rights that simultaneously empower the government to suspend these rights and expropriate property under broad justifications. Governance strategies post-victory include property insecurity as a tactic for maintaining political authority.