Alexander Kupatadze
Biographic Data
| ID | 3074941 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alexander Kupatadze |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alexander |
| FAMILY NAME | Kupatadze |
| SIGNATURE | KUPATADZE A |
| AFFILIATIONS | King's College London |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7825-1075 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 50 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 12 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
The Overlooked Economy
Early in my research career, I set out to understand organised crime from the inside, including by smuggling untaxed wheat flour from the illicit marketplace in a conflict zone as part of my fieldw
In the Shadow of Conflict
We investigate how emotions, threat perceptions and past violence influence foreign policy attitudes via a survey experiment in Georgia. Using a stratified sample across areas with differential exposure to the conflict and the presence of internally displaced persons, we randomly assign respondents to receive emotional primes about Russian aggression in the region. We find that exposure to violence, as well as simply being primed about past Russi…
Corruption and Illicit Tobacco Trade
This review critically engages with the debate on the importance of corruption for illicit tobacco trade. It proposes to solve the disagreement in the literature by advancing a nuanced analysis of how different types of corruption are linked to various forms of illicit tobacco trade. It conceptualises the role of corruption by breaking it down into necessary and sufficient conditions. The analysis shows that unlike price differential, corruption …
Understanding Variation in Corruption and White-Collar Crime
This chapter examines the internal and external causes of variations in corruption and white-collar crime through a comparative case study of Georgia and Armenia. From the domestic perspective, different outcomes in relation to ethnic conflicts, as well as differences in terms of the political elite’s stability (a radical changeover of political elites in Georgia versus a continuation of existing elite networks in Armenia), explain the varying de…
Popular Punitiveness? Punishment and Attitudes to Law in Post-Soviet Georgia
Georgia is the only country in the post-Soviet region where incarceration rates significantly grew in the 2000s. Then in 2013, the prison population was halved through a mass amnesty. Did this punitiveness and its sudden relaxation after 2012 impact attitudes to the law? We find that these attitudes remained negative regardless of levels of punitiveness. Furthermore, the outcomes of sentencing may be less important than procedures leading to sent…
Jesse Driscoll, Warlords and Coalition Politics in Post-Soviet States (New York
The Quest for Good Governance
This paper looks at Georgia’s path to reform in 2004–2012. The author argues that the young, ideologically and structurally cohesive elite capitalized on the window of opportunity and implemented “big bang” reform in 2004–2008. As time passed, the new incumbents developed vested interests that became apparent with the reemergence of a state-business nexus reemerged in 2008–2012. During the Saakashvili administration, these interests undermined ma…
Political corruption in Eurasia
This article presents the problem of illicit collusion between states, organized criminals and white-collar criminals in the post-Soviet region, showing the blurring of these phenomena. It charts the development of political corruption and argues that this is a particular problem in the region due to the way state resources were sold off during the 1990s. The article however shows that the countries of the region now diverge significantly in term…
Kyrgyzstan – A virtual narco-state
Organized Crime, Political Transitions and State Formation in Post-Soviet Eurasia
Based on over 130 interviews with criminals, law enforcement officials and government representatives from post-Soviet Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, this book situates organized crime in the debate
Organized crime before and after the Tulip Revolution
More than a decade of post-Soviet transition has given rise to political-criminal clans in Kyrgyzstan, thus blurring the boundaries between the legitimate sector and the criminal underworld. The Tulip Revolution, which is frequently referred to as an ‘anti-crime’ and an ‘anti-corruption’ event, was followed by increasing political violence and more powerful organized crime groups. This article looks at the reasons for these developments. It argue…
Radiological Smuggling and Uncontrolled Territories
The article focuses on radiological smuggling and its connection with uncontrolled territories, the “grey zones” that have emerged as important conduits for illicit contraband, including the trafficking of radioactive materials. The presence of “grey zones, ” together with poor border security, weak law enforcement and corruption in government structures, are the most important regional factors that facilitate radiological smuggling. The paper do…
In the Shadow of Conflict
We investigate how emotions, threat perceptions and past violence influence foreign policy attitudes via a survey experiment in Georgia. Using a stratified sample across areas with differential exposure to the conflict and the presence of internally displaced persons, we randomly assign respondents to receive emotional primes about Russian aggression in the region. We find that exposure to violence, as well as simply being primed about past Russi…
Political corruption in Eurasia
This article presents the problem of illicit collusion between states, organized criminals and white-collar criminals in the post-Soviet region, showing the blurring of these phenomena. It charts the development of political corruption and argues that this is a particular problem in the region due to the way state resources were sold off during the 1990s. The article however shows that the countries of the region now diverge significantly in term…
Organized crime before and after the Tulip Revolution
More than a decade of post-Soviet transition has given rise to political-criminal clans in Kyrgyzstan, thus blurring the boundaries between the legitimate sector and the criminal underworld. The Tulip Revolution, which is frequently referred to as an ‘anti-crime’ and an ‘anti-corruption’ event, was followed by increasing political violence and more powerful organized crime groups. This article looks at the reasons for these developments. It argue…
The Quest for Good Governance
This paper looks at Georgia’s path to reform in 2004–2012. The author argues that the young, ideologically and structurally cohesive elite capitalized on the window of opportunity and implemented “big bang” reform in 2004–2008. As time passed, the new incumbents developed vested interests that became apparent with the reemergence of a state-business nexus reemerged in 2008–2012. During the Saakashvili administration, these interests undermined ma…
Popular Punitiveness? Punishment and Attitudes to Law in Post-Soviet Georgia
Georgia is the only country in the post-Soviet region where incarceration rates significantly grew in the 2000s. Then in 2013, the prison population was halved through a mass amnesty. Did this punitiveness and its sudden relaxation after 2012 impact attitudes to the law? We find that these attitudes remained negative regardless of levels of punitiveness. Furthermore, the outcomes of sentencing may be less important than procedures leading to sent…
Corruption and Illicit Tobacco Trade
This review critically engages with the debate on the importance of corruption for illicit tobacco trade. It proposes to solve the disagreement in the literature by advancing a nuanced analysis of how different types of corruption are linked to various forms of illicit tobacco trade. It conceptualises the role of corruption by breaking it down into necessary and sufficient conditions. The analysis shows that unlike price differential, corruption …
Radiological Smuggling and Uncontrolled Territories
The article focuses on radiological smuggling and its connection with uncontrolled territories, the “grey zones” that have emerged as important conduits for illicit contraband, including the trafficking of radioactive materials. The presence of “grey zones, ” together with poor border security, weak law enforcement and corruption in government structures, are the most important regional factors that facilitate radiological smuggling. The paper do…
Radiological Smuggling and Uncontrolled Territories
The article focuses on radiological smuggling and its connection with uncontrolled territories, the “grey zones” that have emerged as important conduits for illicit contraband, including the trafficking of radioactive materials. The presence of “grey zones, ” together with poor border security, weak law enforcement and corruption in government structures, are the most important regional factors that facilitate radiological smuggling. The paper do…
Organized crime before and after the Tulip Revolution
More than a decade of post-Soviet transition has given rise to political-criminal clans in Kyrgyzstan, thus blurring the boundaries between the legitimate sector and the criminal underworld. The Tulip Revolution, which is frequently referred to as an ‘anti-crime’ and an ‘anti-corruption’ event, was followed by increasing political violence and more powerful organized crime groups. This article looks at the reasons for these developments. It argue…
Organized Crime, Political Transitions and State Formation in Post-Soviet Eurasia
Based on over 130 interviews with criminals, law enforcement officials and government representatives from post-Soviet Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, this book situates organized crime in the debate
Kyrgyzstan – A virtual narco-state
Political corruption in Eurasia
This article presents the problem of illicit collusion between states, organized criminals and white-collar criminals in the post-Soviet region, showing the blurring of these phenomena. It charts the development of political corruption and argues that this is a particular problem in the region due to the way state resources were sold off during the 1990s. The article however shows that the countries of the region now diverge significantly in term…
Jesse Driscoll, Warlords and Coalition Politics in Post-Soviet States (New York
The Quest for Good Governance
This paper looks at Georgia’s path to reform in 2004–2012. The author argues that the young, ideologically and structurally cohesive elite capitalized on the window of opportunity and implemented “big bang” reform in 2004–2008. As time passed, the new incumbents developed vested interests that became apparent with the reemergence of a state-business nexus reemerged in 2008–2012. During the Saakashvili administration, these interests undermined ma…
Understanding Variation in Corruption and White-Collar Crime
This chapter examines the internal and external causes of variations in corruption and white-collar crime through a comparative case study of Georgia and Armenia. From the domestic perspective, different outcomes in relation to ethnic conflicts, as well as differences in terms of the political elite’s stability (a radical changeover of political elites in Georgia versus a continuation of existing elite networks in Armenia), explain the varying de…
Popular Punitiveness? Punishment and Attitudes to Law in Post-Soviet Georgia
Georgia is the only country in the post-Soviet region where incarceration rates significantly grew in the 2000s. Then in 2013, the prison population was halved through a mass amnesty. Did this punitiveness and its sudden relaxation after 2012 impact attitudes to the law? We find that these attitudes remained negative regardless of levels of punitiveness. Furthermore, the outcomes of sentencing may be less important than procedures leading to sent…
In the Shadow of Conflict
We investigate how emotions, threat perceptions and past violence influence foreign policy attitudes via a survey experiment in Georgia. Using a stratified sample across areas with differential exposure to the conflict and the presence of internally displaced persons, we randomly assign respondents to receive emotional primes about Russian aggression in the region. We find that exposure to violence, as well as simply being primed about past Russi…
Corruption and Illicit Tobacco Trade
This review critically engages with the debate on the importance of corruption for illicit tobacco trade. It proposes to solve the disagreement in the literature by advancing a nuanced analysis of how different types of corruption are linked to various forms of illicit tobacco trade. It conceptualises the role of corruption by breaking it down into necessary and sufficient conditions. The analysis shows that unlike price differential, corruption …
The Overlooked Economy
Early in my research career, I set out to understand organised crime from the inside, including by smuggling untaxed wheat flour from the illicit marketplace in a conflict zone as part of my fieldw
Political science (11 works) · Politics (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance (6 works) · Economics (6 works) · Law (6 works) · Political economy (6 works) · Corruption and Economic Development (5 works) · Organised crime (5 works) · Sociology (5 works)