Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MOCCA (Multilevel Orders of Corruption in Central Asia)
Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-12-31
Corruption has become, without a doubt, a buzzword in both academic and policy debates over the last three decades. The initial view that “corruption greases the wheels of economic growth” in the newly independent states of Africa and Asia has lost its validity in light of the current ever-growing global coalition against corruption, spearheaded by Transparency International (TI) and the World Bank. However, despite the unrelenting global anti-corruption efforts, one thing seems clear: There is no such thing as a remedy to this “cancer”. In light of the obvious failure of global anti-corruption initiatives, there has been a growing call to rethink the existing approaches, arguing for the necessity to understand better what corruption is, why it occurs, and what we can do to stop it. Rather than critically reflecting on policy failures, global (Western-centric) anti-corruption strategies still continue to rely on mainstream economic-based attempts or legal centralistic normative approaches that fail to consider the contextual factors and mechanisms that explain the persistence of corruption.
The MOCCA project responds to the efforts and challenges of understanding and counteracting corruption by conducting studies on the multilevel orders of corruption in the context of five countries in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). More specifically, MOCCA is constructed around three interlinked goals which are to:
1) collect original empirical data (based on research solidly grounded in fieldwork) on the interplay between global anti-corruption norms, nation-state laws, and local meso- and micro-level (everyday) legal cultures in Central Asia and their implications for understanding corruption and its societal effects;
2) engage with and situate our research in relevant theoretical debates and thereby advance scholarly debates on (anti-) corruption by developing new conceptual and methodological approaches to study and understand it;
3) provide strategic intelligence for EU-based political and economic actors interested or already working in the region and inform international organisations and decision-makers in the EU and Central Asia on ways to combat corruption and improve the business and investment climate, the rule of law and governance in the region.
The MOCCA project responds to the efforts and challenges of understanding and counteracting corruption by conducting studies on the multilevel orders of corruption in the context of five countries in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). More specifically, MOCCA is constructed around three interlinked goals which are to:
1) collect original empirical data (based on research solidly grounded in fieldwork) on the interplay between global anti-corruption norms, nation-state laws, and local meso- and micro-level (everyday) legal cultures in Central Asia and their implications for understanding corruption and its societal effects;
2) engage with and situate our research in relevant theoretical debates and thereby advance scholarly debates on (anti-) corruption by developing new conceptual and methodological approaches to study and understand it;
3) provide strategic intelligence for EU-based political and economic actors interested or already working in the region and inform international organisations and decision-makers in the EU and Central Asia on ways to combat corruption and improve the business and investment climate, the rule of law and governance in the region.
The MOCCA project has made significant progress toward achieving its objectives, meeting key milestones, and addressing challenges that have emerged since its inception. The MOCCA project has achieved the following targets and milestones:
• The project’s management structures were established at the outset to ensure fair and transparent governance, while adhering to ethical research norms, particularly in the politically sensitive context of Central Asia.
• All project participants are actively engaged in individual research projects, which are expected to evolve into impactful academic articles, book chapters, policy briefs, and other publications throughout the course of the project.
• The research within the project focuses on Central Asia, exploring the social dynamics of corruption and anti-corruption laws and policies from multi-level and interdisciplinary perspectives. To reflect these elements, the MOCCA project’s research is organized into four streams.
• Secondments have been successfully implemented, with the project’s kick-off meeting held as planned within the first year. The mid-term meeting took place during the second year. A total of 189 months of secondments have been completed, surpassing the initial goal of 180 months for the first two years.
• The project has already organized several events, seminars, and workshops targeting both the general public and civil service representatives, including policy and decision-makers from Central Asian countries.
To date, the research and training activities mentioned above have resulted in 6 books/monographs, 15 book chapters, and 11 journal articles, all of which are available in open access, either through the repository or via Gold Open Access.
• The project’s management structures were established at the outset to ensure fair and transparent governance, while adhering to ethical research norms, particularly in the politically sensitive context of Central Asia.
• All project participants are actively engaged in individual research projects, which are expected to evolve into impactful academic articles, book chapters, policy briefs, and other publications throughout the course of the project.
• The research within the project focuses on Central Asia, exploring the social dynamics of corruption and anti-corruption laws and policies from multi-level and interdisciplinary perspectives. To reflect these elements, the MOCCA project’s research is organized into four streams.
• Secondments have been successfully implemented, with the project’s kick-off meeting held as planned within the first year. The mid-term meeting took place during the second year. A total of 189 months of secondments have been completed, surpassing the initial goal of 180 months for the first two years.
• The project has already organized several events, seminars, and workshops targeting both the general public and civil service representatives, including policy and decision-makers from Central Asian countries.
To date, the research and training activities mentioned above have resulted in 6 books/monographs, 15 book chapters, and 11 journal articles, all of which are available in open access, either through the repository or via Gold Open Access.
The MOCCA project is making significant progress toward its stated goals, as evidenced by the following impacts:
• Exercising multidisciplinary research and providing a platform for researchers from diverse backgrounds to collaborate and learn from one another during project workshops and conferences.
• Engaging an increasing number of high-level policymakers and decision-makers at practical workshops led by seconded guest researchers, while providing opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge in practice.
• Fostering a deeper understanding of the region through secondments to Central Asian countries and ongoing qualitative and quantitative data collection processes.
• Gaining cross-sectoral skills: All researchers have the opportunity to learn skills from both academic and non-academic partners.
• Building long-lasting and sustainable relationships through secondments, support from stream leaders, and bringing together anti-corruption experts and Central Asian studies scholars at project workshops and conferences. This collaboration will ultimately enhance understanding of the region’s legal culture, business environment, and anti-corruption efforts and challenges.
The academic and policy impact of the project are reflected in the following publications produced by the MOCCA team:
• Urinboyev, R. (Ed.). (2024). The Political Economy of Central Asian Law: A Law and Society Analysis. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Urinboyev, R., and Svensson, M. (2024). Law, Society and Corruption: Lessons from the Central Asian Context (1st ed.). Routledge.
• Ruziev, K., Rabbimova, D. & Mamasolieva, M. (2025). Reforming Doctoral Education in Uzbekistan: Models, Rules and Norms of Behaviour. High Educ Policy
• Urinboyev, R., & Dogan, E. (2024). Navigating the Legal Uncertainty and Informality in Authoritarian Regimes: Legal Culture, Governance and Business Environment in Uzbekistan. Central Asian Affairs, 10(4), 349-371.
• Exercising multidisciplinary research and providing a platform for researchers from diverse backgrounds to collaborate and learn from one another during project workshops and conferences.
• Engaging an increasing number of high-level policymakers and decision-makers at practical workshops led by seconded guest researchers, while providing opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge in practice.
• Fostering a deeper understanding of the region through secondments to Central Asian countries and ongoing qualitative and quantitative data collection processes.
• Gaining cross-sectoral skills: All researchers have the opportunity to learn skills from both academic and non-academic partners.
• Building long-lasting and sustainable relationships through secondments, support from stream leaders, and bringing together anti-corruption experts and Central Asian studies scholars at project workshops and conferences. This collaboration will ultimately enhance understanding of the region’s legal culture, business environment, and anti-corruption efforts and challenges.
The academic and policy impact of the project are reflected in the following publications produced by the MOCCA team:
• Urinboyev, R. (Ed.). (2024). The Political Economy of Central Asian Law: A Law and Society Analysis. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Urinboyev, R., and Svensson, M. (2024). Law, Society and Corruption: Lessons from the Central Asian Context (1st ed.). Routledge.
• Ruziev, K., Rabbimova, D. & Mamasolieva, M. (2025). Reforming Doctoral Education in Uzbekistan: Models, Rules and Norms of Behaviour. High Educ Policy
• Urinboyev, R., & Dogan, E. (2024). Navigating the Legal Uncertainty and Informality in Authoritarian Regimes: Legal Culture, Governance and Business Environment in Uzbekistan. Central Asian Affairs, 10(4), 349-371.