Organized crime before and after the Tulip Revolution: the changing dynamics of upperworld-underworld networks

‘Urbanizing’ Bishkek: interrelations of boundaries, migration, group size and opportunity structure

“…Beyond that, the effort to remove former president Akaev's 'old personnel' trickled down to such seemingly small domains as the Bishkek traffic police or the city's district administration. Kupatadze (2008) noted:…”

Political Capital, Everyday Politics and Moral Obligations: Understanding the Political Strategies of Various Elites and the Poor in Kyrgyzstan

“…Individuals with high economic capital are more capable of converting capital holdings into political capital. For example, in 2005, 80% of members of the Kyrgyz Parliament had their own businesses (Kupatadze 2008). Economic capital is easier to convert into political capital by funding campaign costs and bribing people to gain votes.…”

Home-grown strategies for greater agency: reassessing the outcome of civil society strengthening in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan

“…The current political leaders' main interests lie in protecting their positions and wealth rather than bringing about political or social change (Engvall 2007;Juraev 2007). In addition, since March 2005, organized criminals are said to have gained increasing influence over politicians (Kupatadze 2008). In the current political environment 'the people's interests are the last issue to be addressed' (Soros Foundation and AUCA 2007, p. 10).…”