There was an interesting new post at Eurek Alert, a nonprofit news-release distribution platform operated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS):

A study of dictators over the past 150 years shows they are rarely associated with strong economies, and quite often with weaker ones.

Autocratic leaders are often credited with purposefully delivering good economic outcomes, such as the late Lee Kuan-Yew, who is widely credited with Singapore’s prosperity.

But new research published in the Leadership Quarterly journal by researchers from RMIT University and Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, challenges that long-held assumption.

RMIT University economist Dr Ahmed Skali said robust analysis of data on economic growth, political regimes and political leaders from 1858 to 2010 found dictators rarely oversaw strong economies.

See full story here.