University of Missouri - Saint Louis

The Graduate School

Announcement

An oral examination in defense of the dissertation for the degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Maksat Kobonbaev
M.P.P.A. in Public Policy Administration, May, 2006, University of Missouri-St. Louis
B.A. in Political Science, May, 2000, University of Missouri-St. Louis

Why is Corruption Less Pervasive in the Baltic States than in Central Asia?:
Institutional Explanation with Particular Focus on Estonia and Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

Corruption has recently become one of the most discussed topics in policy and scholarly debates. An extensive body of research, conducted over the last decade, demonstrates that corruption has a negative impact on development, competitiveness, investment climate and the allocation of public resources. Controlling corruption is believed to be the key to achieving equitable economic and social development. Yet, little is known for certain about what exactly determines the extent of corruption, let alone definitive measures to control it. The current dissertation contributes to the policy and scholarly dialogue on addressing corruption by examining the underlying institutional sources of corruption in the context of the post-Soviet Baltic and Central Asian states.

After independence, corruption was a common problem in all post-communist states. Yet, after fifteen years of transition, the degree of corruption varies substantially across these states. The difference is particularly evident between the countries in the Baltics and Central Asia. The latter have considerably more corruption than the former. The difference is most striking between Estonia and Kyrgyzstan. Why are the Central Asian countries still plagued by ubiquitous corruption, while the Baltic countries have succeeded in controlling this disease? Why has Estonia emerged as one of the cleanest countries, while Kyrgyzstan remains one of the most corrupt countries in the region? What accounts for the disparate nature of corruption between the two regions and two countries in particular?

Employing a number of previously unutilized policy data, the dissertation attempts to account for differences in the levels of corruption in the post-Soviet Baltic and Central Asian states. The study finds that the differences in corruption are accounted by institutional memory. In particular, the Baltic countries had a history of state-making, parliamentary bureaucracy, an independent judiciary and “Weberian bureaucracy” before their incorporation into the Soviet Union. By contrast, state formation had yet to take place when the Central Asian states were incorporated into the Soviet system.

Defense of Dissertation Committee