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The Defection-Punishment Cycle: The Curious Case of Milorad Dodik and the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Successful power-sharing depends on political actors’ willingness to play by the rules of the game. Yet, many political elites find reward in ‘strategic defection,’ whereby they consciously subvert institutional constraints. In these instances, the potential gains outweigh the risks of punishment. This dynamic is illustrated in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the actions of the Dodik administration in Republika Srpska.