Post-socialist societal trajectories: democratic and market transition or state capture? Cover Image

Постсоциалистически обществени траектории: демократичен и пазарен преход или завладяване на държавата?
Post-socialist societal trajectories: democratic and market transition or state capture?

Author(s): Andrey Nonchev
Subject(s): Economy, Governance, Political economy
Published by: Университет за национално и световно стопанство (УНСС)
Keywords: state capture; public institutions; power networks; politico-economic power networks; corruption; clientelism.

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses alternative trajectories of post-socialist societal transformations, with an emphasis on a specific state of society designated as "state capture". It presents a theoretical model that interprets the state capture not as an anonymous actorless process, but as a rational pursuit of specific strategies for acquisition, concentration and preservation of political and economic power and extraction of economic benefits/ rents. The implementation of these strategies involves the formation and operation of the politico-economic power networks that seek to control key public legislative, executive and judiciary institutions. These processes have a systematic nature and significant political, economic and social consequences.

  • Issue Year: 1/2018
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 43-53
  • Page Count: 11
  • Language: Bulgarian