State Capitalism in Eurasia: A Dual-Economy Approach to Central Asia

Abstract

The political regimes, social development and economic performance in Central Asian countries since their independence have been comprehensively and controversially discussed in the existing literature. This holds particularly true for the region’s two politically and economically most important states, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.¹ This literature shows that these authoritarian regimes have developed different, but structurally similar forms of political and economic governance that have demonstrated a high degree of stability over time. In addition, both economies have performed better, with a higher degree of sustainability, than have other countries in the region. Economic success, political stability, minimum social standards, the provision of public goods and effective nation-building efforts since 1991 have all contributed to enhancing the legitimacy of the political leadership in both countries. The accomplishments with regard to international recognition and the adoption of development models based on the experiences of other so-called developmental states have enhanced external legitimation (Stark, 2012; Ahrens and Stark, 2014). It appears that legitimacy patterns in both countries can be basically explained by using Holmes’ (1993; 2010) modes of legitimation.