C2: Economic Agency in the Context of Unrecognised Statehood

Description

How can a non-recognised state survive? Isolation practices and little options for revenue generation make it difficult for de facto states to participate in formalised international trade and ensure their economic existence without a patron’s support. The small size of the secessionist territories adds to their disadvantage in the production of goods, impeding their socio-economic development and increasing patron dependency. Recent research suggests, however, that de facto states nevertheless act in accordance with a certain ‘agency’ vis-à-vis their patron. This project investigates this ‘room for manoeuvre’ through a comparative analysis of two unrecognised states that formed with the dissolution of the USSR – Abkhazia and Transnistria. The aim is to analyse whether and in what ways economic agency has an impact on their conflict dynamics.

On a theoretical level, this research seeks to conceptualise economic agency by developing a model to measure and typologise its different forms. On an empirical level, the research investigates how the economies of two post-Soviet unrecognised states are structured, adapt to external isolation practices and (dis)integrate with the economy of the patron and parent state. By exploring the impact of economic agency on conflict dynamics, we aim to contribute to a deeper theoretical understanding of the trends and undercurrents that determine the trajectory of the conflicts in the region.

Key questions

How do different degrees of economic agency affect the conflict dynamics of de facto states?
What role do long-lasting conflicts play in the development of different economic practices?
What explains the variation in the coping strategies de facto states develop for long-term economic survival?

Methodology and sources

Comparative case study
Qualitative interviews with various stakeholders in the economic sector
Analysis of documents

Project team

Sabine von Löwis is senior researcher at ZOiS since 2017 and head of the research cluster Conflict Dynamics and Border Regions.

She studied Economic and Social Geography at the Technical University of Dresden (TU Dresden) and gained a doctorate in political science at HafenCity University in Hamburg. She has held positions at various university and non-university research institutes, working on projects on the stability and change of spatial structures in urban and rural areas. From 2011 to 2017, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre Marc Bloch, where she was involved in the joint research project Phantomgrenzen in Ostmitteleuropa (Phantom borders in East Central Europe) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Having studied the persistence and dissolution of spatial structures in Western Ukraine within this project framework, she now focuses her research on the post-Soviet space.

Curriculum Vitae (last updated: 23/02/21)

Julia Langbein has been coordinating the ZOiS research cluster Political Economy and Integration since January 2020.

In her research, she deals with the integration of (semi-) peripheral economies into transnational markets and value chains and the consequences for their economic and political development. Her regional focus lies on Eastern Europe and European economic integration, while also taking into account the role of China’s economic engagement. She holds a degree in Political Science from the Freie Universität Berlin and a master’s in Russian Studies from the European University Institute in St. Petersburg. After receiving her PhD from the European University Institute in Florence, Langbein was a postdoctoral fellow at the Kolleg-Forschergruppe (Research Group) ‘The Transformative Power of Europe’ and scientific coordinator of two EU-funded collaborative research projects at the Centre for European Integration at the Freie Universität Berlin. She also held visiting fellowships at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels, the International Centre for Policy Studies in Kyiv, and the Higher School of Economics in Moscow.

CV Julia Langbein

Lena Pieber joined KonKoop & ZOiS in April 2022 as a PhD-researcher.

Lena Pieber studied international relations at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna as well as international development and gender studies at the University of Vienna. Before joining ZOiS, she supported the EU Delegation to the International Organisations in Vienna and was working with the UN Women National Committee Austria and the Austrian Foreign Ministry. Her last position was Press Attaché of the Austrian Embassy in Moscow.

Sabine von Löwis is senior researcher at ZOiS since 2017 and head of the research cluster Conflict Dynamics and Border Regions.

Curriculum Vitae (last updated: 23/02/21)

Julia Langbein has been coordinating the ZOiS research cluster Political Economy and Integration since January 2020.

CV Julia Langbein

Lena Pieber joined KonKoop & ZOiS in April 2022 as a PhD-researcher.