Political Regimes and Neopatrimonialism in Central Asia

This book is aimed both at researchers and advanced students of Central Asia, the space of the former USSR, and the foreign policy of Russia and China. The authors adopt a sociological approach in understanding how power structures emerged in the wake of the Soviet collapse. The independencies in Central Asia did not happen as a consequence of a nationalist struggle, but because the USSR imploded. Thus, instead of the elites being replaced, the same Soviet elites who had competed for power in the previous system continued to do so in the new one, which they had to build, adapting themselves and the system to their needs. Additionally, unlike in the immense majority of the independent states that emerged from decolonization, the social movements and capacity to mobilize the people were very weak in the new Central Asian states. For this reason, the configuration of the new systems was the product of a competition for power between a very small number of elites who did not have to answer to the people and their demands. Thus, the new power regimes acquired a strong neopatrimonial component. Analyzing the structure of societies, economies and polities of post-socialist states, this book will be of great interest to scholars of Central Asia, to sociologists, and to scholars of China's rise.

“This book provides a thorough and well needed analysis of the dynamics of power in Central Asian republics. By focusing on the role played by neopatrimonialism, these contributions are able to shed light on the fundamental features of governance in the “Stans”: clientelism, corruption, crony capitalism, concentration of power in the hands of a closed circle of ruling elites and the absence of democracy. A must read for any scholars studying this part of the world.” (Jean-François Caron, Associate professor in Political Science and International Relations at Nazarbayev University)

“As the 21st century world order evolves, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have become the cross-roads of an emergent Eurasia. Supranational strategies like the Belt and Road Initiative or the Shanghai Cooperation Organization frame their multi-dimensional and diverse approaches to state building, power regimes and the distribution of resources. This studyby various authors offers a nuanced and well-informed analysis of how the post-USSR national elites navigate neo-patrimonial paths to system transformation between statism and the neoliberal policies imposed by global elites.” (Sean Golden. Full Professor (Retired) and Former Director of the East Asia Studies & Research Centre of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Senior Associate Researcher of the CIDOB Barcelona Centre for International Affairs, and Associate Professor of the Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals (IBEI).)

Ferran Izquierdo-Brichs is Professor on International Relations at Autonomous University of Barcelona. His research is focused on the Sociology of power and the Arab and Muslim world. He has published numerous articles and books on these issues.

Francesc Serra-Massansalvador is a lecturer on International Relations at Autonomous University of Barcelona. He is vice-dean of Institutional Relations and coordinator of exchanges in the Faculty of Political Science and Sociology of the UAB since 2000, and Member of the Observatory of European Foreign Policy research group. His research focuses on Russia's foreign policy and its relations with the EU, national minorities, ethnic conflicts and human rights in the post-Soviet space.