Rentier Capitalism and Its Discontents

This book explains and evaluates today's economic, political, social and ecological crises through the lens of rentier capitalism and countermovements in Central Asia. Over the last three decades the rich and powerful have increased their wealth and political power to the detriment of social and environmental well-being. But their activities have not gone unchecked. Grassroots activism has resisted the harmful and damaging effects of the neoliberal commodification of things.

Providing a much-needed theorisation of the moral economy and politics of rent, this book offers in-depth case studies on finance, real estate and natural resources in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The authors show the mechanisms of rent extraction, their moral justifications and legitimacy, and social struggles against them.

This book highlights the importance of class relations, state-countermovement interactions and global capitalism in understanding social and economic dynamics in Central Asia.It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in political economy, development studies, sociology, politics and international relations.

Provides a critical comparative analysis of neoliberal policies in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan Details the emergence of new class relations and countermovements Illuminates in all its depth rentierism and its effects on society, politics and the environment Contains findings based on over 200 qualitative interviews and extensive ethnographic observations

Autorentext
Balihar Sanghera is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Kent.

Elmira Satybaldieva is a Senior Research Fellow at the Conflict Analysis Research Centre, University of Kent.

Klappentext

This book explains and evaluates today s economic, political, social and ecological crises through the lens of rentier capitalism and countermovements in Central Asia. Over the last three decades the rich and powerful have increased their wealth and political power to the detriment of social and environmental well-being. But their activities have not gone unchecked. Grassroots activism has resisted the harmful and damaging effects of the neoliberal commodification of things. Providing a much-needed theorisation of the moral economy and politics of rent, this book offers in-depth case studies on finance, real estate and natural resources in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The authors show the mechanisms of rent extraction, their moral justifications and legitimacy, and social struggles against them. This book highlights the importance of class relations, state-countermovement interactions and global capitalism in understanding social and economic dynamics in Central Asia.It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in political economy, development studies, sociology, politics and international relations.

Inhalt

1 Introduction.- 2 Theorising the economic transformation.- 3 The rise of the rentier class in the post-Soviet space.- 4 Rentier capitalism in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.- 5 Social movements and activism in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.- 6 Alternative economic imaginaries in Central Asia.- 7 Conclusion: The end of the road for rentiership?.