Listen to a special interview of Johann Egvall, author of The State as Investment Market by Sean Guillory on Sean’s Russia Blog. In it, he describes the model of corruption in Kyrgyzstan that is endemic not only to the region of Central Asia, but also to Russia, the Ukraine, and elsewhere. Sean Guillory also gives special mention to University of Pittsburgh Press’ Central Eurasia in Context Series, edited by Douglas Northrop, that has published numerous book on the region of Central Eurasia.  The State as Investment Market  Kyrgyzstan in Comparative Perspective Johan Engvall                Johan Engvall is a…

Authoritarian Russia Analyzing Post-Soviet Regime Changes Vladimir Gel’man RUSSIAN STUDIES/POLITICAL SCIENCE “With this book, Gel’man brings together his deep knowledge of the dynamics of the Russian regime and his serious grounding in political science to provide an interpretation of the evolution of the regime since 1991. The result is a masterful synthesis.” —Thomas Remington, Emory University   Russia today represents one of the major examples of the phenomenon of “electoral authoritarianism”—characterized by adopting the trappings of democratic institutions (such as elections, political parties, and a legislature) and enlisting the service of the country’s essentially authoritarian rulers. Why and how has…