International Conference - Exporting Regimes? Interests and Strategies of Powerful States in the Post-Communist Space

Conference venue: Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, Germany
Period: June 13-14, 2014
Application Deadline: March 3, 2014

This conference takes up the question of how powerful states affect the political developments of post-communist states. More precisely, the conference focuses on how influential democracies and authoritarian states effect the developments of political regimes in seemingly less powerful states. In doing so, it aims to combine two fairly distinct literatures: the older literature on the diffusion and export of democracy (e.g., Burnell, Carothers, McFaul, and Wright) and the newer literature on the external dimensions of authoritarian rule (e.g, Bader et al., Burnell, Levitsky and Way, and Vanderhill).

In doing so, we try to address several questions:

While these questions could be answered by looking at various countries around the world, for methodological and empirical reasons, the conference focuses on the post-communist space and more precisely on the Soviet successor states of the South Caucasus. We therefore seek to bring together experts of the post-communist area who have an interest in comparative work and at least some knowledge of the South Caucasus.

Junior scholars (PhD students or recent PhD graduates, 2009 or later) and senior scholars of political science and international relations with appropriate area expertise and an interest in addressing the above mentioned research questions. The conference brings together both junior and senior scholars. It also aims at comprehensive geographical representation, inviting scholars worldwide, but especially those from the South Caucasus specifically and post-communist countries generally.

Christoph Stefes
e-mail: christoph.stefes@ucdenver.edu

Julie George
e-mail: Julie.George@qc.cuny.edu