State Capture, Political Risks and International Business: Cases from Black Sea Region Countries

In the OECD-area states provide security business to be conducted through a legal-institutional framework where state institutions, working in a legal-rational, predictable and effective manner, are often taken for granted. Worldwide, however the situation is very different. Private actors seize public institutions and processes accumulating ever more power and private wealth by systematically abusing, side-stepping, ignoring and tailoring formal institutions to fit their interests. Such forms of ’state capture’ are associated with specific political risks international businesses are confronted with when operating in these countries, such as institutional ambiguity, systematic favouritism and systemic corruption.

This edited volume covers state capture, political risks and international business from the perspectives of Political Science and International Business Studies. Uniting theoretical approaches and empirical insights, it examines Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. Each chapter deals with country specific forms of state capture and the associated political risks bridging the gap between political analysis and business related impacts.

Johannes Leitner is head of the Competence Center for Black Sea Region Studies at the University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna, Austria.

Hannes Meissner is a senior researcher and lecturer in the Competence Centre for Black Sea Region Studies at the University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna, Austria.