Abstract
Reflecting a chiefly economic approach to understanding political outcomes, a burgeoning literature on post-Soviet political economy finds a strong link between privatization and political pluralism in the region. To test whether the political promise of economic liberalization and the logic of modernization that underlies it hold true, I draw on existing and original data on privatization, pluralism, and opposition movements throughout the region from early independence to the present. The data reveal a fundamentally different formulation of the relationship between economics and politics than that found in the standard causal account. Contrary to approaches that stress the the primacy of economics in determining political outcomes, numerous cases of post-Soviet capitalist defection to the political opposition clearly point to the primacy of politics: the tangible ways that formal and informal institutions structure economic opportunities and ultimately impinge on individual calculations to comply with, oppose, or seek refuge from the regime.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 891-916 |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| Journal | Perspectives on Politics |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Political Science and International Relations
Cite this
Improbable but potentially pivotal oppositions : Privatization, capitalists, and political contestation in the post-soviet autocracies. / Junisbai, Barbara.
In: Perspectives on Politics, Vol. 10, No. 4, 12.2012, p. 891-916.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Improbable but potentially pivotal oppositions
T2 - Privatization, capitalists, and political contestation in the post-soviet autocracies
AU - Junisbai, Barbara
PY - 2012/12
Y1 - 2012/12
N2 - Reflecting a chiefly economic approach to understanding political outcomes, a burgeoning literature on post-Soviet political economy finds a strong link between privatization and political pluralism in the region. To test whether the political promise of economic liberalization and the logic of modernization that underlies it hold true, I draw on existing and original data on privatization, pluralism, and opposition movements throughout the region from early independence to the present. The data reveal a fundamentally different formulation of the relationship between economics and politics than that found in the standard causal account. Contrary to approaches that stress the the primacy of economics in determining political outcomes, numerous cases of post-Soviet capitalist defection to the political opposition clearly point to the primacy of politics: the tangible ways that formal and informal institutions structure economic opportunities and ultimately impinge on individual calculations to comply with, oppose, or seek refuge from the regime.
AB - Reflecting a chiefly economic approach to understanding political outcomes, a burgeoning literature on post-Soviet political economy finds a strong link between privatization and political pluralism in the region. To test whether the political promise of economic liberalization and the logic of modernization that underlies it hold true, I draw on existing and original data on privatization, pluralism, and opposition movements throughout the region from early independence to the present. The data reveal a fundamentally different formulation of the relationship between economics and politics than that found in the standard causal account. Contrary to approaches that stress the the primacy of economics in determining political outcomes, numerous cases of post-Soviet capitalist defection to the political opposition clearly point to the primacy of politics: the tangible ways that formal and informal institutions structure economic opportunities and ultimately impinge on individual calculations to comply with, oppose, or seek refuge from the regime.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84871633165&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84871633165&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S153759271200285X
DO - 10.1017/S153759271200285X
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84871633165
VL - 10
SP - 891
EP - 916
JO - Perspectives on Politics
JF - Perspectives on Politics
SN - 1537-5927
IS - 4
ER -