Applying Global Governance agenda in post-Soviet states : the case of EITI in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

Current explanations of global governance fail to incorporate in their analysis the importance of both structural domestic and contextual factors in which global governance initiatives operate. More specifically, it is necessary to further investigate what global governance means for specific non-democratic regions and actors involved in the process of global governance. Current research on global governance is characterised by the concept of a static dichotomy between the international and domestic spheres. In contrast, the present thesis aims to offer a more sophisticated account of the interplay between these two spheres; it therefore presents an empirical and theoretical framework that is able to capture the transboundary character of global governance encompassing both the international and domestic context. Using the case of an international governance initiative, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), this PhD thesis investigates how the standardised practices of global governance arrangements are implemented in the post-Soviet and autocratic states of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Adopting a comparative case study perspective, the study examines, first, how shared self-regulatory governance practices as prescribed under the EITI function in authoritarian countries, second, whom or which constituencies they serve, and, finally, how the initiativea s legitimacy can be assessed. Most importantly, in analysing the EITI, the thesis aims to assess the role of different actors (state and non-state) within non-democratic countries. Furthermore, in light of the EITIa s focus on fighting corruption in the extractive sector, the project aims to contribute to the debate on the resource curse in the political economy. The results of my thesis indicate that the EITI in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan operates as a dysfunctional platform for cooperation that is detached from its initial purpose. The research further demonstrates that the regime type, the countrya s political institutions and the inherited Soviet legacy have considerably affected the functioning of the Initiative. In light of these observations, the thesis urges scholars and policy practitioners to more thoroughly consider the context in which global governance takes place.