Everyday Coping in Post-Soviet Central Asia: Ethnic Influences and Political Implications (Research Brief)

My project examines how citizens’ means of dealing with problems no longer resolved by the state shape their attitudes toward their governments and their relationships with their leaders. Namely, how does citizens’ reliance on private services affect state legitimacy and efficacy? For instance, when citizens can readily obtain social assistance from a nongovernmental group, do they consider state institutions that fail to provide services, yet collect taxes, as legitimate? Furthermore, to what extent do coping behaviors, such as drug smuggling for income, undermine state capacity?

Download the pdf at the top of this page for the full brief.

Kelly M. McMann, of Harvard University, was a 2001-02 Individual Advanced Research Opportunities (IARO) fellow.