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What did those who were “Present at the Transition” Miss? The Creation of Powerful Presidential Families in Central Asia

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  • Richard Pomfret

    (University of Adelaide
    The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, SAIS Europe)

Abstract

A striking feature of Havrylyshyn's book present at the transition is the space and emphasis that he gives to elites. He contrasts the new rich in Central European Big Bang countries, who formed a capitalist class that supported further reforms and consolidation of the new economic system, with the new rich in countries with gradual reforms or where an early Big Bang was aborted and old communist-era elites were able to short-circuit the reform process. This paper argues that, although Havrylyshyn's focus on the oligarchs of Russia and Ukraine may be justified by their status as the two largest Soviet successor states, they were not typical of the non-Baltic former Soviet republics. In the Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan, extreme wealth has become concentrated in the presidential families and their associates. This pattern has had specific and pernicious consequences.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Pomfret, 2023. "What did those who were “Present at the Transition” Miss? The Creation of Powerful Presidential Families in Central Asia," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 65(3), pages 442-460, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:compes:v:65:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1057_s41294-023-00208-8
    DOI: 10.1057/s41294-023-00208-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Commander, Simon & Prieskienyte, Ruta, 2021. "The Political Economy of Kazakhstan: A Case of Good Economics, Bad Politics?," IZA Discussion Papers 14554, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Pomfret, Richard, 2011. "The Age of Equality: The Twentieth Century in Economic Perspective," Economics Books, Harvard University Press, number 9780674062177, Spring.
    3. Richard Pomfret, 2010. "Constructing Market-based Economies in Central Asia: A Natural Experiment?," European Journal of Comparative Economics, Cattaneo University (LIUC), vol. 7(2), pages 449-467, December.
    4. Richard Pomfret, 2021. "Central Asian Economies: Thirty Years After Dissolution of the Soviet Union," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 63(4), pages 537-556, December.
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