Impact of Economic Development on Democracy: A Case Study of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan from 1991-2016

Abstract

The relationship between economic development and democracy has dominated academic discourses fordecades. The theoretical and empirical evidence remain ambiguous about the direction of causality or themagnitude of the impact on each other. Exploiting a qualitative (case study) approach, this study examines theimpact of economic development on democracy in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for the period 1991-2016. Thestudy suggests that economic development in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan may not have had an impact on thecountry’s democratisation process. Although the study is limited by its case study design, it provides valuableinsights into the democracy-economic development nexus.