Rex Weiye Deng

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My research examines how political elites use media communication and co-optation to foster voluntary mass compliance in both authoritarian and democratic contexts. This agenda bridges three interrelated areas: (1) authoritarian politics — how autocrats manipulate domestic and international information environments to sustain regime legitimacy, (2) party politics — how parties communicate with voters to retain public backing when their reputation is at risk, and (3) state building — how governments use development projects to foster trust among resistant citizens. I also extend this agenda into international relations by studying how states employ public diplomacy to shape foreign attitudes — more specifically, how they promote peace and cooperation.