Repression from above and Legitimacy to below: Subnational Elites and Authoritarian Politics in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Russia

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

In the three decades following the collapse of the Soviet Union, subnational political dynamics have offered valuable insights for a more nuanced understanding of post-Soviet autocracies. This panel features three speakers who illuminate various facets of subnational political processes across Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Russia.
Masaaki Higashijima and his colleagues explore the impact of the introduction of local elections on citizens' perceptions of local elites in Kazakhstan. Masatomo Torikai delves into the manner in which new Ukrainian parties re-nominated members formerly affiliated with Viktor Yanukovych's regime following the Euromaidan movement. Aleksandra Rumyantseva, Margarita Zavadskaya and their co-author assess the patterns of criminal charges leveled against municipal heads under diverse regional conditions in Russia.
Our discussant, Guzel Garifullina, and chair, Kimitaka Matsuzato, will offer insightful commentary on the three papers, drawing upon their expertise in subnational politics within the post-Soviet context

Sub Unit

• Politics/Law

Papers

• Do Elections Change Political Attitudes in Autocracies?: Identification through the Staggered Introduction of Local Elections in Kazakhstan - Masaaki Higashijima, U of Tokyo (Japan)

• Local Governance in Russia on the Eve of the Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine: Elections, Corruption, and Criminal Charges - Margarita Zavadskaya, Finnish Institute of International Affairs (Finland); Aleksandra Rumiantseva, UNC at Chapel Hill

• The Electoral Calculations and Reputation Costs Trade-Off: Renomination and Electoral Performance of Former Autocratic Elites in Post-Euromaidan Ukraine - Masatomo Torikai, Osaka U (Japan)

Discussant

• Guzel Garifullina, U of Richmond