On 14 December, the Hoffmann Centre will welcome Adam Scharpf, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, for the Fall 2026 Hoffmann Circle Lecture. Drawing on his new book, Making a Career in Dictatorship: The Secret Logic behind Repression and Coups, Professor Scharpf will explore how career incentives within authoritarian regimes shape repression, loyalty, and political instability.

The public lecture will be held in the Auditoire Jacques Freymond at the Geneva Graduate Institute, followed by a Hoffmann Circle dinner at Perle du Lac.
 

ABOUT THE RESEARCH 

Abstract: Who carries out the most brutal acts of violence for authoritarian regimes—and who ultimately turns against the leaders they once served? Making a Career in Dictatorship offers a new explanation for two defining features of authoritarian rule: repression and coups. It argues that both can be traced to a common mechanism—career concerns within the state’s security apparatus. Through unique career data on thousands of military officers, in-depth case studies, and a global analysis of authoritarian regimes, a striking pattern emerges: career pressure fuels extreme behavior. By opening the black box of the authoritarian state apparatus, the book reveals how organizational structures, promotion systems, and career trajectories shape loyalty and betrayal from the bottom up. In times of rising authoritarianism, it sheds new light on how regimes sustain themselves—and how they ultimately unravel.
 

About the Speaker

Adam Scharpf is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH). He studies political regimes and how they generate loyalty and allegiance, both at home and abroad. His work examines why regimes and their agents act as they do and how this affects society.