Who makes the economic decisions in a dictatorship?

A dictatorship is “a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a dictator or a small clique.” Unlike a democracy, in which the people theoretically rule themselves either through direct voting or by electing representatives to make decisions on their behalf, a dictatorship consolidates power in one person or a small, exclusive administration. The dictator exercises absolute control over most aspects of people’s lives, and society, government, the military, and the economy...

A dictatorship is “a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a dictator or a small clique.” Unlike a democracy, in which the people theoretically rule themselves either through direct voting or by electing representatives to make decisions on their behalf, a dictatorship consolidates power in one person or a small, exclusive administration. The dictator exercises absolute control over most aspects of people’s lives, and society, government, the military, and the economy are usually structured in such a way to ensure the continuation of a dictator’s rule.

The form a dictatorship takes can vary, and the way in which power is exercised depends on how a particular government is set up. Economic power, like any other type of power, will ultimately be under the control of the dictator and/or his or her administration. Rather than a more free market system like capitalism, the economy in a dictatorship is usually directly under the government’s control—or at least heavily influenced or regulated by government actions and policies. The dictator, as the absolute head of the government, is the primary source for the economic decisions and policies carried out.