Due to the state of Austrian politics, the discussion around the so-called "Ständestaat", i.e. the government of Austria from 1933-1938 (with the caveat that the official constitution dates from May 1934), has gained traction once again.

However, the public discussion of the topic ranges from the picture of "Austrofaschismus" as a murderous villain state second only to Nazi Germany to the somewhat euphemistic "Kanzlerdiktatur" to outright claims of a benevolent not-quite-democracy. These views are more ore less obviously coloured by the (current) political views of their proponents.

Is there a current discourse in academia that takes a more nuanced approach? If so, does the system compare to the regimes of say, Italy or Spain, or is it an autocracy sui generis?