Are Equalizing Transfers Really Equalizing?: Oligarchs and Regional Development in the Republic of Georgia

• In Event: Subnational Politics and Identity in the Post-Soviet States

Abstract

Post-Soviet leaders have often sought to promote regional development to ensure the stability of their regime, in part through equalizing transfers to eliminate development gaps between the center and periphery. This paper analyzes large-N subnational data from the Republic of Georgia to explore the role of oligarchs and informal regional leaders on equalizing transfers, finding that municipalities represented by oligarchs and regional interest groups receive more funds from equalizing transfers compared to other municipalities.

Author

• Zaur Kapanadze, Texas Tech U