The Political Economy Of Governance Reforms In Central Asia

Governance reforms in Central Asia cut into the heart of existing power equilibria in these societies. What they entail is nothing short of systemic change. Better governance rests on a number of principles that are fundamentally at odds with functional characteristics of social and political systems in Central Asian countries as they present themselves today. Any attempt from the outside at introducing reforms in the direction of good governance will inevitably meet with resistance by powerful interest groups. Reform efforts that do not take such resistance into account are likely to fail.