Journal article

Think Tanks In A Limited Access Order: The Case Of Ukraine

Year:

2020

Published in:

East European Politics and Societies
Post-Soviet politics
think tanks
policy advice
hybrid regime
Ukraine

This article belongs to the special cluster, “Think Tanks in Central and Eastern Europe”, guest-edited by Katarzyna Jezierska and Serena Giusti. Think tanks outside liberal democracies have distinctive features that go beyond the features of the original concept that emerged within the US context. Departing from this empirical observation, we investigate the sources of the organizational power of think tanks in Ukraine as a case of a limited access order (LAO), a social order where privileged individuals maintain discretionary access to societal resources, functions, and institutions. To accomplish this goal, we apply Thomas Medvetz’s analytical concept of a “boundary organization,” which allows us to highlight the hybridity and flexibility of think tanks and thus understand their methods of gaining political access in an LAO. The analysis of interviews with senior representatives of nongovernmental think tanks in Ukraine in 2016–2017 demonstrates that Ukrainian think tanks are resourceful and find indirect ways of influencing politics. These organizations publish their reports in the media and deliver assessments of Ukraine’s international commitments to the country’s donors, thereby indirectly influencing the policy process in the country. Ukrainian think tanks also comply with the expectations of a boundary organization, accumulating and converting economic, academic, and media capital into political capital, using advocacy and networking as conversion tools. One important difference between the expectations of Medvetz’s framework and our findings is that political capital seems to be the goal of think tank activity, while the three other types are used merely instrumentally.

Other publications by

10 publications found

2024
Working paper

Advancing Anti‑Corruption Capacity In Ukraine’s Local Self‑government

Publisher: U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre

Authors: Oleksandra Keudel

2024
Book Chapter

Open Government

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Authors: Oleksandra Keudel, Oksana Huss

2021
Journal article

Civil Society And External Actors: How Linkages With The EU And Russia Interact With Socio‑Political Orders In Belarus And Ukraine

Publisher: East European Politics

Authors: Oleksandra Keudel, Tatsiana Chulitskaya, Matthew Frear, Antoaneta Dimitrova, Honorata Mazepus, Nina Tarasenkova, Natallia Rabava

2023
Working paper

Political Will For Anti‑Corruption Reform: Communicative Pathways To Collective Action In Ukraine

Publisher: University of Gothenburg

Authors: Oleksandra Keudel, Marcia Grimes, Oksana Huss

2023
Working paper

Political Will For Anti‑Corruption Reform

Publisher: University of Gothenburg

Authors: Oleksandra Keudel, Marcia Grimes, Oksana Huss

2024
Working paper

Advancing Corruption Prevention In Ukraine: A Constructive Approach

Publisher: U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre

Authors: Oleksandra Keudel, David Jackson, Oksana Huss

2024
Report

Evidence From Ukrainian Municipalities: The Importance Of Collaborative Crisis Governance

Publisher: CBEES

Authors: Oleksandra Keudel

2023
Journal article

Polycentric Governance In Practice: The Case Of Ukraine’s Decentralised Crisis Response During The Russo‑Ukrainian War

Publisher: Journal of Public Finance and Public Choice

Authors: Oleksandra Keudel, Oksana Huss

2023
Journal article

Ukraine’s Emergent Collaborative Democracy And How The Eu Can Support It: Learning From The Local Level Of Governance

Publisher: European Liberal Forum

Authors: Oleksandra Keudel, Oksana Huss

2021
Working paper

Open Budget: Learning From The Open School Platform In Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine

Publisher: Bononia University Press

Authors: Oleksandra Keudel, Oksana Huss

You have reached the end of the list