Contact Person: Sebastian Schiek, Dipl.-Pol.

The political transformation in Central Asia since independence has been scrutinized chiefly through the lens of democracy and democratization. Other aspects of the state as domination and bureaucracy have been widely neglected. The PhD project aims at shedding light on this part of statehood in Kazakhstan. The country is an interesting object of study as it is the only one in Central Asia that has conducted administrative reforms. The reform's objective of “modernizing” or “rationalizing” the administration is indicating prima facie emerging dynamics between “modernity and tradition”.

Employing a sophisticated theory of the state and drawing on Weber's ideal types of domination, the core of the project consists out of intensive field research aiming at analyzing one branch of the Kazakhstani administration. Especial attention will be paid to the role of international actors that are involved in the field of administrative reform since Independence.