Interaction Between the Internet and the Political Regime: An Empirical Study (1995–2015)

Abstract

This ongoing paper is devoted to the empirical study of the interaction between the Internet and the political regime. Departing from several theoretical assumptions, we aim to explore the correlation between the development of the Internet and democracy from 1995 to 2015. Our findings suggest that although the Internet is associated with democracy, this link has been losing its significance over time, and more consolidated autocracies are utilizing the potential of the Internet.