The institutional aspects of economic and political development in Central Asia: Cases of Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan

Abstract

The study explains the interplay between economic development and democratization in Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. The role of democratic institutions and of factors that impede development is analyzed and assessed. The thesis identifies what democratization and development are through the arguments and theories of prominent scholars; it also identifies the main challenges to democratization and development in Central Asia and tries to shape a theory of how both development and democracy could be achieved in the region, how Central Asia can transition to less authoritarian governance, how this transition will influence economic development, and what institutions are necessary for the transition.