Article
Privatization and elite defection in de facto states: The case of Transnistria, 1991–2012
Communist and Post-Communist Studies
(2013)
Abstract
What factors determine the timing of elite defection in conditions of post-Soviet personalistic presidentialism? How do relations with a powerful patron state affect this process? This article analyzes these questions on the basis of a case study of Transnistria, a de facto state with strong links to Russia. It argues that privatization processes involving actors from the patron state provide a unique opening for elite defection by heightening tensions between the rent-seeking interests of the personalistic president and those of new owners; direct or indirect signals from the patron state may also affect elite's perceptions of incumbent durability and their corresponding decisions.
Keywords
- Transnistria,
- Moldova,
- de facto states,
- Democratization,
- Hybrid regimes,
- Privatization,
- Elites,
- Post-soviet space
Disciplines
Publication Date
December, 2013
Citation Information
Margarita Balmaceda. "Privatization and elite defection in de facto states: The case of Transnistria, 1991–2012" Communist and Post-Communist Studies Vol. 46 Iss. 4 (2013) p. 445 - 454 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/margarita-balmaceda/11/