Research Stream 1

Reading contested norm entrepreneurship in Eurasia

Research Stream 1 investigates how international and regional norm entrepreneurs shape, contest, and transform Central Asia’s governance landscape. Western actors—EU member states, international organizations, and development agencies—diffuse rule‑of‑law, human rights, and good‑governance agendas across the region. Meanwhile, alternative architectures linked to Russia, China, and other regional powers advance competing models and practices. RS1 analyzes this evolving interaction to understand the boundaries of norm diffusion and the emergence of hybrid legal orders.

Key lines of inquiry
RS1 examines discourses, institutions, and policy instruments used by international organizations and regional bodies; traces the translation of global anti‑corruption and transparency regimes; and studies how sanctions, parallel trade networks, and security narratives reshape regional governance. It combines comparative policy analysis, discourse and media analysis, elite interviews with policymakers, and targeted case studies to reveal the mechanics of norm contestation and accommodation.

Expected contributions
The stream will establish empirically grounded accounts of how regional orders co‑exist with—or challenge—Western agendas, clarifying when “authoritarian legal harmonization” arises and how it interacts with liberal institutions. Findings inform both scholarly debates on global governance and practical strategies for EU and international actors engaging Central Asia.