State Capture in Remission? Reflections on the Moldovan Business Environment
State capture is a feature of several post-Soviet states where it undermines socio-economic resilience, weakens state institutions and diminishes the rule of law. Devised by the World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the 1990’s, state capture remains a compelling concept to understand problems associated with democratisation and shifts to the market economy in the region. Moldova became a captured state with a transition distinguished by endemic corruption and frequent backsliding. This article explores the emergence of state capture in Moldova and prospects for its demise. The possibility of Moldova becoming a member of the European Union (EU) has raised the prospect of a remission of state capture. However, evidence gathered from research on Moldova’s business environment suggests that state capture remains potent and continues to have palpably deleterious effects on the country’s socio-economic situation and prospects for the future.
Kerry Longhurst
Kerry Longhurst holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK. She is a Jean Monnet Chairholder at Collegium Civitas, Warsaw, Poland and has written on European integration and Eastern Europe, as well as gender and security. She was the recipient of an EU Marie Curie Fellowship, which she held at the French Institute for International Relations (IFRI).