The constitutional economics of autocratic succession

The paper extends and empirically tests Gordon Tullock's public choice theo ry of the nature of autocracy. A simple model of the relationship between c onstitutional rules governing succession in autocratic regimes and the occu rrence of coups against autocrats is sketched. The model is applied to a ca se study of coups against monarchs in Denmark in the period ca. 935-1849. A clear connection is found between the specific constitutional rules govern ing succession and the frequency of coups. Specifically, the introduction o f automatic hereditary succession in an autocracy provides stability and li mits the number of coups conducted by contenders.