The MOCCA project (Multi-level Orders of Corruption in Central Asia), in collaboration with the MARS project, hosted an international research seminar at Lund University on January 22, bringing together scholars and early-career researchers to examine critical issues at the intersection of migration, governance, labor mobility, and higher education reform in Central Asia.
Organized by Professor Rustamjon Urinboyev, Principal Investigator of the MOCCA project at the Department of Sociology of Law, Lund University, the seminar took place between 10:00 and 12:00 in room M331. The event was structured in two parts: research presentations by seconded researchers followed by a roundtable discussion with newly arrived scholars from partner institutions in Central Asia.
Research Presentations
The first part of the seminar featured five presentations addressing governance failures, institutional reform, and the lived experiences of migrants across Central Asia and key destination countries. The speakers represented universities and research organizations from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Europe.
Dilshoda Rabbimova (Kurultai Research and Consulting) presented research on doctoral education in Uzbekistan, highlighting how weak governance structures, insufficient research infrastructure, and informal practices have undermined academic integrity. Drawing on interviews with doctoral students and university stakeholders, the presentation illustrated how corruption risks and normalization of unethical practices persist despite formal policy reforms.
Madina Ishkibayeva presented early-stage research on Uzbek migrants in Kazakhstan, focusing on the role of digital networks as informal support systems. Her work examined how religious and cultural communication through smartphones mitigates psychological vulnerability and compensates for limited formal institutional support.
Zhansaya Turgambekova analyzed Kazakhstan’s evolving immigration policy, tracing the country’s transition from post-Soviet ethnic repatriation to a more selective and economically oriented migration regime. The presentation highlighted how governance priorities and regional instability have reshaped migration flows and state responses.
A researcher affiliated with Vatandoshlar delivered a critical analysis of Russia’s recruitment of Central Asian migrants for military service, documenting coercive practices embedded within legal and administrative frameworks. His findings raised serious concerns regarding forced labor, abuse of power, and violations of international legal norms.
Albina Aidarkhankyzy examined external labor migration of Kazakh citizens to countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, South Korea, and Turkey. Introducing the concept of “micro legalities,” she demonstrated how informal norms and networks often replace formal legal protections, revealing gaps between official governance frameworks and everyday practice.
The presentations were followed by a Q&A session encouraging dialogue on methodology, ethics, and comparative research perspectives.
Roundtable Discussion: Emerging Research and Institutional Capacity Building
The second part of the seminar consisted of an extended roundtable discussion with newly arrived researchers from MOCCA partner institutions: Tulkin Jumaev and Javohir Gofurov from Kimyo International University in Tashkent, Sevarakhon Abdullayeva and Mushtariy Sultonova from Fergana State Technical University, and Alisher Odiljonov and Ulugbek Khamrakulov from Andijan State University.
The roundtable served as a platform for presenting preliminary research ideas related to corruption, governance, education, and migration. Participants received detailed feedback on how to strengthen analytical focus, refine research questions, and link empirical findings to broader theoretical debates. Particular attention was paid to research design, ethical challenges in sensitive fieldwork, and the integration of qualitative interviews with documentary and statistical data.
Senior researchers emphasized the importance of moving beyond descriptive accounts of corruption and migration toward multi-level analyses that capture interactions between formal institutions, informal practices, and individual agency. The discussion also highlighted the role of international collaboration and academic mobility in enhancing research capacity and fostering sustainable institutional change in Central Asia.
Project Context
The MOCCA project is an MSCA Staff Exchanges initiative that investigates how corruption operates across multiple levels of governance in Central Asia, with particular attention to law, migration, education, and labor markets. Through secondments, joint seminars, and collaborative publications, MOCCA aims to strengthen research capacity and promote evidence-based understanding of governance challenges in the region.
The seminar concluded with reflections on future cooperation within the MOCCA network, reaffirming the project’s commitment to mentoring early-career researchers and advancing comparative, interdisciplinary research on Central Asia.