Whose Ties Still Bind? Ethnic Domination, Informal Social Networks, and Public Goods Provision in Kyrgyzstan. Issue 1 (2nd January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Estes, Kyle W.
• Is Part Of: Problems of post-communism. Volume 70:Issue 1(2023)
• Page Start: 27
• Page End: 41
• Publication Date: 2023-01-02
• Subjects: Post-communism -- Periodicals; Post-communism; Periodicals; 330.91717
• DOI: 10.1080/10758216.2021.1894176
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1075-8216

Abstract

ABSTRACT: What determines provision of public goods in multiethnic Kyrgyzstan? While much existing research prioritizes the explanatory power of ethnic diversity, this article argues that Soviet policies of indigenization and positive promotion of ethnic titular groups, when paired with reliance on informal networks of access for goods and services, have had path-dependent effects on the manner in which government resources are distributed. Through large-N statistical analysis, ethnic Kyrgyz titulars are shown to be favored in public goods provisioning in an additive fashion through the top-down and bottom-up mechanisms of coethnic favoritism in supply of resources and demands through informal networks, respectively.