MOCCA: Multilevel Orders of Corruption in Central Asia

by Otabek Boboqulov, guest researcher from the Prosecutor General’s office of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Charles University

Hi! I am Otabek Boboqulov, a representative of the prosecutor’s office in Tashkent City. I want to write about the project “MOCCA: Multilevel Orders of Corruption in Central Asia” funded by the European Commission and my beautiful one-month life in Prague and Charles University.

We arrived in Prague with my friend and colleague Sherzod Mavlonov on October 2nd, the capital of the Czech Republic. From the day I visited, I was fascinated by the Vltava River flowing through the city centre. Prague’s pleasant nature and fairy-tale buildings make a person calm and inspire a special desire to do scientific work.

I continued researching “Issues of Eliminating Corruption Risks in the Investigation of Criminal Cases.” The research involved studying advanced foreign experiences in combating corruption, including legislative measures and current situations aimed at preventing corruption-related crimes and ensuring the rule of law.

During the research, I studied foreign experience in combating corruption, including the state of legislation aimed at preventing corruption-related crimes and ensuring the rule of law.

Also, within the framework, I analyzed many scientific and analytical articles published in leading foreign literature, using the opportunities of Charles University.

In my research, I paid special attention to the issue of conducting scientific research based on the problems arising in practice, as well as considering the issue of changes and additions to legislative documents based on the results of the research.

It is worth noting that the “MOCCA: Multilevel Orders of Corruption in Central Asia” project can achieve effective results by providing a unique “space for dialogue and exchange of positive experience” in the fight against corruption among the participating countries. 

by Sherzod Mavlonov, guest researcher from the Prosecutor General’s office of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Charles University

Hello, everyone. I am Sherzod Mavlonov, a representative of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan. This blog is about my one-month experience as a guest researcher at Charles University under the “MOCCA: Multilevel Orders of Corruption in Central Asia” project, funded by the European Commission. I wish to share the unforgettable experiences and knowledge I gained during this time.

I and my colleague Otabek Bobokulov arrived in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, on October 2nd. The city, known for its historical and cultural allure, captivated us from day one. Prague is renowned for its architectural marvels that encapsulate Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance styles. Being in this city offers a unique pleasure. Its attractions are numerous, including bridges, Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, the Astronomical Clock, and the Dancing House. The Vltava River adds a unique charm to the city. Prague’s vibrant cultural life is reflected in its theatres, galleries, and cafes. The city boasts a lively nightlife and a diverse culinary culture, making it appealing for those seeking a mix of history, art, and modernity. Prague can easily be called a city of fairy tales.

The city’s public transportation, especially the tram system, is very convenient. Additionally, one cannot overlook the world-renowned Czech beer brands (we probably shouldn’t include this in the blog, but we really miss Prague’s beers… 😊😊😊 mmm… oh oh oh…).

Our research was conducted at the Faculty of Social Sciences, located in Jinonice, at Charles University. Professors Anna Jordanova and Slovomir Horak warmly welcomed us and provided access to the university’s database. Furthermore, Anna introduced us to university life, including the study and leisure areas for students and researchers, which quickly immersed us in the academic environment.

Strong connections have been established between Charles University and Lund University, the initiator of the MOCCA project. Project assistant Elmurod Sobirov helped guide our research initiatives with valuable advice.

I chose the topic “Combating Corruption and Applying Artificial Intelligence in Criminal Proceedings” within the project framework. The research included studying the experiences of advanced European countries, including the Czech Republic, in this field. This involved analyzing the role and implementation status of algorithms (artificial intelligence technologies) in combating corruption and criminal proceedings, the positive work being done in this direction by advanced countries, and the international cooperation between organizations and countries.

I also shared information about the implementation of high technologies in the application of laws in the Republic of Uzbekistan. This includes the creation of legal and institutional foundations for e-governance, the significant increase in electronic services in state services over the last seven years, and the gradual implementation and integration of high technologies in the administration and law enforcement system.

I developed an initial prototype of the first algorithmic assistant in the legal field based on the “Chat GPT 4” artificial intelligence database, registered at the www.lexme.ai international web address. The prototype incorporates norms of the new Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The potential future development of the program, its capabilities in criminal proceedings, crime qualification, and anti-corruption efforts, and possible threats it might pose were highlighted.

Furthermore, extensive use was made of Charles University’s resources to analyze numerous scientific-analytical articles published in leading foreign literature.

I express my immense gratitude to the “MOCCA: Multilevel Orders of Corruption in Central Asia” project, Lund University, and Charles University for this enlightening and enriching one-month experience.

By Berdymyrat Ovezmyradov, Researcher at Tebigy Kuwwat

Following my secondment to Charles University in Prague, I would like to briefly summarize some of the initial findings of my research on how to prevent corruption in the academic sector in Central Asia. Central Asia was known for widespread corruption in the academic sectors and has recently become the region with the highest rate of predatory publishing. Could this be related to the low transparency of the countries in the region in the global rankings? To what extent has academic dishonesty contributed to the well-known gap in research performance between Central Asian countries and other post-Soviet states? Why did other transition countries manage to do much better? What could be done to avoid these problems? These are the questions I asked myself at the university when I started my research, which is still ongoing. I hope that the limited results outlined below will be of interest to those interested in the state of scientific research in my region.

Education and research institutions cannot avoid the effects of corruption if a country already suffers from low transparency in all areas of society and the economy. The Central Asian states occupy the lower positions in the corruption indices. Since the early 1990s, numerous reports have appeared in the media about widespread corruption  in the academic sector – mostly bribery and nepotism at the level of admissions, evaluation and promotion (Brunner and Tillett 2007, Moore 2004). During the 2000s, policymakers in several countries of the region have introduced measures that appear to have reduced corruption in higher education. These included higher enrolment rates, standardized tests, and IT tools. Based on a rather limited number of publications on the subject and a few interviews with my colleagues on the subject, I could conclude those measures were effective to some extent, and most countries have probably made some progress in terms of merit-based admissions and student assessment. However, in terms of awarding advanced degrees, promotions and publications, anecdotal evidence suggests that there were fewer signs of improvement. The academia and policy makers should pay attention to the risks of corruption among researchers as well as educators.

Academic integrity contributes to the quality of research. Unfortunately, questionable practices were widespread throughout the post-Soviet space. Influential bureaucrats, businessmen and politicians might try to obtain academic degrees solely for the prestige and career and salary boost. From limited interviews, I had an overall impression that the problem of obtaining a doctorate or equivalent degree based on reasons other than merit (which often involved nepotism and bribery) was still rampant in the 2000s, although some countries in Central Asia have made visible progress in reducing it over the past decade.

Retraction Watch (2023) and Dissernet (2023) are interesting sources of stories on plagiarism, ghostwriting, low-quality publications, falsified qualifications, manipulated peer review, and many other varieties of suspicious activity among professors, department heads, governors, parliamentarians, ministers, and even heads of state in the post-communist states. Unlike in Western countries, high-ranking officials in the post-Soviet states have often avoided resignation and other serious consequences of plagiarism, academic fraud, and similar offences. This observation alone could already be a worrying signs of abuse of power related to corruption among the officials.

Table 1 shows indirect indicators of academic integrity, such as retractions and predatory publishing. Obviously, these two indicators could be related – more predatory publishing implies a lower quality of research in general, in turn, leading to more retractions.

Table 1. Retractions and predatory publishing (as the country share in sources discontinued by Scopus, 2010-2019).

The above indirect indicators of research quality are certainly not precise indicators of academic dishonesty. The causes of certain retractions and poor publication decisions may be the result of innocent and unintentional errors by authors. Nevertheless, the differences between the two regions are striking, even after adjusting for a large margin of error. Perhaps, too many researchers still knowingly engage in dubious activities in order to quickly get low quality research published. There are clearly lessons to be learned from the countries that joined the EU after the collapse of the USSR. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia can provide examples of adopting modern Western practices for achieving higher performance in numerous other development indicators, not only academic (Ovezmyradov and Kepbanov 2021, Ovezmyradov 2023). Stronger scientific and educational ties between Central Asia and Western countries could help promote better academic practices.

The less than desirable performance is curious given the size of the largest countries in Central Asia, which have made significant investments in recent years to strengthen their research and development capabilities. So when and how did this trend emerge? The figure below shows some relevant periods in the past and suggests possible factors.

Figure 1. Change in publications discontinued by Scopus from 2010 to 2019 (Kessenov 2020).

The consequences of predatory publishing are not only low research impact and damage to reputation. The hidden economic effect is difficult to estimate, but can be substantial, with a typical publication fee in a low-quality publication of several hundred US dollars, and more if intermediaries with articles for sale and other dishonest practices are involved. Such amount could easily exceed a monthly salary in the region. The governments of the leading Central Asian economies have invested billions of national funds in academic organizations in recent periods, creating greater incentives to secure increasingly attractive positions in higher education and research. This is a welcome development for the academic sectors that have long been underfunded, but raises concerns about the effectiveness. Now that higher publication targets were introduced, an unknown number of local academic staff, under pressure to publish, may be more willing to engage and invest in such undesirable practices as those mentioned above. One reason the policymakers promoted requirements to have publications indexed by the global academic databases (Scopus and Web of Science) was to eliminate the subjective evaluations prone to negative influence of personal connections and other informal relationships at the local level of the academic institutions. Publishing in such databases could serve, in a sense, as a proof of research quality and integrity to prevent possible corruption in degree awards and promotions. Such approach, however, might simply shift potential corruption risks from one area to another. A researcher might be willing to sacrifice a significant portion of personal income to pay for an article published in a relatively easy-to-publish journal of lower Scopus level (Q4), usually requiring open access fee. They are not necessarily of low quality, but significant proportion later gets removed from the recognized database and become classified as predatory. An alternative could be to buy an article for sale written by intermediaries that arrange publications in better journals. Thus, direct and indirect losses for the regional economies due to questionable activities that bring little to advance science are estimated to be in the millions of US dollars.

So what can be done to improve the situation? Kazakhstan’s experience as of the latest metrics suggests that a combination of the right policies and adequate funding can be highly effective in improving research output while minimizing predatory publishing. However, more can be done to ensure better contribution of science to sustainable development in the region. Right budgets and reforms alone cannot bring fundamental changes in research excellence. My conjecture, based on initial observations in developed countries and comparisons between transition economies (not yet backed up by deeper analysis due to lack of data though), is that better governance can be a powerful driver. Liberalization, opening-up reforms and a geopolitical orientation towards the leading Western countries can help solve many research problems. Central Asian countries have long lagged behind most other post-Soviet states in terms of liberalisation indicators (Ovezmyradov and Kepbanov 2021). Similar to their Baltic counterparts in the 1990s and 2000s, Central Asian states could extend economic and socio-political liberalization to more sectors – including academia. Over-regulation and a bloated public sector are obstacles to attracting more talent and funding. Good governance is essential to prevent corruption. Meanwhile, opaque government intervention in academic institutions does not lead to more transparency. The lack of liberalization in the form of academic and other freedoms can cause or exacerbate long-standing shortcomings in academia: insufficient autonomy, inadequate internationalization, low funding, ineffective reforms, and lack of transparency. Unfortunately, the level of governance and openness achieved by the Baltic States may be unrealistic to expect from Central Asia in the near future, given the numerous geopolitical constraints that exist in the region, so the current outlook in this regard is not very optimistic for closing the spectacular gap with research quality and other indicators.

Undoubtedly, more needs to be done in local systems of incentive and training to avoid questionable and corrupt practices in the regional research. Beside predatory publishing and retractions, there are other forms of questionable practices potentially linked to corruption that the discussion above excluded due to the lack of data. The lack of detailed statistics, interviews and observations for deeper analysis in the study allows preliminary findings to be treated only with caution, while suggesting directions for future research to better inform policy makers in the region to address the issues discussed.

More details of the research can be found in a book chapter that I co-authored with my colleague in Latvia shortly after the secondment (Gromov and Ovezmyradov 2023). Some of the results have also been presented online for an audience in a regional conference (Questionable practices and publication strategies among Central Asian researchers. ESCAS Conference 2023 in Almaty, Kazakhstan).

During my stay in the Czech Republic, I had ample opportunities to expand my research by participating in field trips, conferences and networking events within the EU. Importantly, the project provided a unique opportunity to learn from country experts in Prague, a place of concentration of scholars with deep local knowledge of Turkmenistan. I was also excited to find rare publications about my homeland. They will be very important for several ethnographic studies I am planning in the near future. As a junior researcher in my country, I am very grateful for the support I received from the MOCCA project and the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University.

Keywords: Research Metrics, Predatory Publishing, Retractions, Central Asia.

References

Brunner, J. J., Tillett, A.: Higher education in Central Asia; the challenges of modernization – an overview. World Bank (2007)

Dissernet  https://www.dissernet.org/ (2023)

Gromov, G., Ovezmyradov, B.: Differences in Research Performance Between Central Asian and Baltic States. In International Conference on Reliability and Statistics in Transportation and Communication (pp. 528-537). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland (2023)

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377837944 Differences in Research Performance Between Central Asian and Baltic States PREPRINT

Kessenov, B.: Percentage of Articles and Reviews by Countries in Sources Discontinued by Scopus. Mendeley Data (2020)

Moore, K.: Central Asia: Buying Ignorance – Corruption In Education Widespread, Corrosive. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (2004)

Ovezmyradov, B., Kepbanov, Y.: Human capital and liberalization in Central Asia: comparative perspectives on development (1991 – 2020). Lund University, Media-Tryck (2021)

Ovezmyradov, B.: Applying quantified indicators in Central Asian science: can metrics improve the regional research performance? Scientometrics, 128(1), 177-206 (2023)

Retraction Watch (2023) https://retractionwatch.com/

Retraction Watch Database (2023) http://retractiondatabase.org

by Islom Marksov, guest researcher from the General’s Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan

My academic adventures at Lund University began when I arrived in Lund on August 30. I had already started my research in Uzbekistan, and at Lund University, I had the opportunity to continue my work and explore the conditions provided by the university.

Lund University holds a high rank in international comparisons of higher education institutions, consistently placing in the global top 100 in various university rankings. Conducting research at this esteemed university was a delightful experience for me.

Lund University impressed me as a remarkable institution dedicated to real science, offering equal opportunities to students, university staff, and visiting researchers like myself. Soon after starting my research, I attended a seminar titled “Social Control and Political Exclusion: Collective Legal Mobilization and the Law as Possibility or Impossibility” on September 6, 2023. The event was attended by professors, doctoral students, staff, and guest researchers from two departments at Lund University. This seminar provided me with an excellent opportunity to enhance my scientific skills and gain valuable experience.

At Lund University, I discovered numerous opportunities for personal growth. Professors constantly provided me with valuable advice on recommended books and articles. I was particularly impressed by the historical significance of the Lund Library. The university also granted me access to foreign publications relevant to my research and facilitated my learning of research methods within the field of sociology of law. I made use of the electronic resources database and library resources available at Lund University during my studies.

I began reading books recommended by the professors in my department, gaining insights into the origins of corruption and research methodologies for studying it.

My research at Lund University focused on the topic “Prospects of improving the legal framework of the Republic of Uzbekistan related to foreign direct investments and issues of reducing the risk of corruption.” During this research, I examined the mechanisms for safeguarding the rights of foreign investors and investigated the historical and current legislative measures implemented by different countries to combat corruption in this domain. Working alongside leading professors and teachers at Lund University, I collaborated on drafting an article within the scope of my research topic. The studies revealed that developed countries follow certain practices to protect the rights and legal interests of foreign investors and prevent corruption in this field:

Firstly, they develop strategic plans aimed at comprehensive economic development and enhancing the country’s investment environment. These plans are directly influenced by international economic indices that international financial institutions and rating agencies maintain. Therefore, it is crucial to thoroughly study research on international ratings and indices assessing the investment environment, its attractiveness, and the risk of corruption in a particular country or region.

Secondly, it is vital for investors that the state guarantees provided to foreign investors ensure that their property is not harmed by specific actions. These guarantees include measures such as not impeding the repatriation of capital, protecting investments from destruction during times of war or civil unrest, and more.

Thirdly, it is necessary to enhance the legal framework for investment protection and ensure the effective implementation of existing laws and regulations, thereby upholding the rule of law. Foreign companies should have confidence that disputes with local partners will be resolved through the legal system. Strengthening the judicial system and ensuring the fair and efficient resolution of investment disputes are crucial in this regard.

Fourth, transparency in the legal system should be increased, and bureaucratic obstacles for foreign investors should be reduced. This can be achieved by introducing electronic systems for investment registration and streamlining procedures for obtaining licenses and permits.

Fifth, the protection of intellectual property rights should be strengthened since many foreign companies make significant investments in their brands and products. At Lund University, I studied articles on this topic and examined relevant case studies conducted by scientists.

During the course of my research, I will continue to pursue answers to the following questions. In the future, I plan to conduct interviews with theoretical scientists and field representatives to gain further insights.

by Anna Jordanova, a PhD researcher at Charles University,

Hello! My name is Anna Jordanova. I am a PhD researcher at Charles University in Prague, Czechia. In September, I spent a month at Lund University within the framework of MOCCA secondment.

MOCCA is a project on researching and fighting corruption in Central Asia. For this purpose, one can hardly find a better place than the Sociology of Law department in Lund and the MOCCA project in general. Our team in Lund consisted of both Central Asian (Uzbek, more precisely) experts and practitioners and European academicians. Together, we were able not only to exchange data and definitions but we were also able to reach a mutual understanding of which problems do, in fact, lie behind the dry legal definitions. After all, this is what the Sociology of law is all about – not so much what is written on paper but what people experience every day in the real world. I believe this will be one of the most outstanding benefits of the entire consortium.

My research concerns the political dimension of presidential anti-corruption campaigns, especially in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Both are examples of states with authoritarian forms of governance, where large-scale reforms were launched immediately after a new president replaced his (long-ruling) predecessor in power. In both of them, the genuine reform efforts have been marred with struggles among various power groups despite the extensive utilization of anti-corruption rhetoric.

This situation is not a rare phenomenon and has occurred in numerous contexts worldwide. Nevertheless, since Central Asia is becoming an important region of global diplomatic attention and economic investments, knowing the contexts of the ongoing and recent reforms might become a valuable contribution to international anti-corruption efforts. Among others, it may assist in better targeting anti-corruption measures and smarter avoidance of accidental contributions to solidifying local autocratic practices or playing in the hands of local interest groups.

To pursue this research, I had a great chance in Lund to use the local library and online academic databases. I devoted the month to familiarising myself with various types of corruption across all extents and forms and with various kinds of anti-corruption campaigns. This theoretical foundation helped me to design the empirical part of the research, which is scheduled for my second secondment in the spring months in Uzbekistan.

The organizing MOCCA team in Lund was enormously supportive and helpful in our research. Frankly speaking, so was the environment; the university facility is located in a lovely area in the broader city centre, the coffee supplies were plentiful, and the faculty staff the friendliest. Any researcher would find himself or herself both comfortable and motivated there. In the upcoming months and years, Charles University will host visiting researchers from other MOCCA member institutions. We hope to provide at least as warm a welcome as we experienced from our Lund counterpart.

by Farrukh Esanov, guest researcher from the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan

My name is Farrukh Esanov; I am an employee of the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan. My secondment at Lund University was held from October 1 to October 31, 2023, within the framework of the project “MOCCA: Multilevel Orders of Corruption in Central Asia”, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101085855 and coordinated by Lund University, Department of Sociology of Law.

First, I would like to thank the Head of the Department, Isabel Schoultz, Rustamjon Urinboyev, and other project participants for organizing our secondment at a high level, and I also wish them fruitful work!

It is a great honour for me and my colleagues to conduct research at such a prestigious university in Sweden.

Doing secondment at Lund University, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe, provides me with a unique opportunity to enrich my scientific skills and academic experience.

It is essential to mention that Lund University is one of the world’s top universities. The University has approximately 45,000 students and 8,600 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg, Malmö and Ljungbyhed.

Lund is one of the most popular places to study in Sweden. The University has a strong international profile, with partner universities in 75 countries. The university conducts cutting-edge research in various branches of science.

A striking example of the research results is that Anne L’Huillier, professor of atomic physics at Lund University, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. Anne L’Huillier’s was rated at the highest level for her long-term and fruitful work.

Amenities of Lund University

Talking about Lund University it should be especially noted that this university has a multidisciplinary library. In particular, the university has access to EBSCO – an electronic scientific database worldwide.

University staff, students and researchers can access one of Sweden’s most extensive digital libraries. The university’s electronic resources are available through the LUBsearch search system.

LUBsearch is a collective entry point to all the libraries’ joint resources. Through a single search field, you can find articles, journals, doctoral theses and books. Even while away from the university campus, you can access the full texts.

This is one of the advantages of doing secondment at Lund University, which enabled me to freely access and download many articles relevant to my research.

During my secondment, I was able to collect a significant number of articles and other electronic publications on the research topic.

Getting acquainted with these materials gave me a unique understanding of conducting high-quality and meaningful research using new research methods.

According to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, “On the implementation of a qualitatively new system for training qualified personnel in the field of crime investigation”, a scientific and practical legal journal “Investigator of Uzbekistan” has been established at the Law Enforcement Academy of the Republic of Uzbekistan for students, independent applicants and practitioners. Currently, work is underway to gradually include the journal in leading scientific databases (RSCI, DOI, Scopus) to increase its status at the international level, as well as the publication of individual issues of the journal jointly with prestigious legal journals of foreign countries.

My research

The problem of corruption today has become global and systemic. In addition, it has become an insurmountable barrier to socio-economic transformations, as well as state and legal reforms. The consequences of corruption directly or indirectly affect the lives of almost every citizen.

All state legal means and institutions are currently aimed at combating corruption, but the state has not yet achieved a noticeable result for several reasons.

One of the state legal institutions designed to combat corruption in government and management bodies and in the field of economic activity is the prosecutor’s office.

The prosecutor’s office is the entity that must oversee compliance with anti-corruption legislation, as well as the implementation by state and territorial employees of prohibitions and restrictions determined by their service.

The role of a prosecutor’s office in combating corruption is crucial in upholding the rule of law and maintaining the integrity of a country’s institutions. Here are some of the key functions and responsibilities of a prosecutor’s office in this regard:

1. Investigation and Prosecution: Prosecutors investigate and bring charges against individuals and entities involved in corrupt activities. They work to gather evidence, build cases, and present them in court.
2. Enforcement of Anti-Corruption Laws: Prosecutors enforce the laws and regulations aimed at preventing and punishing corruption. This includes laws related to bribery, embezzlement, money laundering, and other corrupt practices.
3. Preventing Impunity: Prosecutors play a vital role in preventing impunity by holding corrupt individuals accountable for their actions. This deters others from engaging in corrupt practices.
4. Cooperation with Law Enforcement: Prosecutors often work closely with law enforcement agencies to identify, investigate, and prosecute corruption cases. This collaboration helps in efficiently addressing corruption cases.
5. Asset Recovery: Prosecutors may be involved in efforts to recover assets that were acquired through corrupt means. This can involve seizing and returning ill-gotten gains to the state or victims.
6. Whistleblower Protection: Some prosecutor’s offices work to protect whistleblowers who report corruption. Encouraging individuals to come forward with information is essential in uncovering corruption.
7. International Cooperation: Corruption often transcends borders. Prosecutors may engage in international cooperation and information sharing to combat cross-border corruption effectively.
8. Educating the Public: Some prosecutor’s offices engage in public awareness campaigns to educate citizens about the dangers of corruption and the importance of reporting corrupt activities.
9. Advising Governments: Prosecutors can provide legal advice to governments on developing and strengthening anti-corruption legislation and policies.
10. Ethical Leadership: It’s important for prosecutors to lead by example, demonstrating the highest ethical standards in their work.

Prosecutors play a pivotal role in the fight against corruption, as they act as legal gatekeepers in the justice system. Their actions and decisions can significantly impact the success of anti-corruption efforts and the overall integrity of a country’s institutions.

In addition, the prosecutor’s office is entrusted with several powers to implement administrative enforcement measures for violations of anti-corruption legislation. The Prosecutor’s Office is also vested with important powers to carry out anti-corruption examination of regulatory legal acts and their drafts.

The prosecutor’s office conducts anti-corruption activities based on the new Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Laws “On the Prosecutor’s Office”, “On Combating Corruption”, and other laws.

Corruption as an illegal phenomenon in the sphere of public administration has been known since ancient times. At various stages of its development, almost every state has encountered this problem. In the modern period, we can confidently say that solving the corruption problem is directly related to economic growth and protecting citizens’ rights. It must be admitted that there is no state in the world in which there is no problem of corruption at all, but there are quite a lot of countries where its level is minimal, and therefore, society practically does not feel its negative impact.

As already noted, the entity that can make a very tangible contribution to combating corruption is the prosecutor’s office. The Prosecutor’s Office is the most universal law enforcement agency designed to combat corruption by means of prosecutorial response. Taking into account the fact that the prosecutor’s office can comprehensively influence the causes of corruption and carry out a set of preventive measures in the relevant area, its role in anti-corruption measures increases as anti-corruption legislation develops.

Today, corruption is not associated with bribery; it has quite complex forms of manifestation, which, in addition to its very high latency, represent an increased public danger.

Speaking directly about the legal basis for the activities of the prosecutor’s office in combating corruption, it should be noted that in recent years, the regulatory legal framework in this area has been developing very actively.

In its anti-corruption activities, the prosecutor’s office is guided by the norms of international law, anti-corruption legislation, as well as regulations that come from the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Prosecutor’s supervision is the main activity of the prosecutor’s office; it is through the means of prosecutor’s supervision that various types of offences are identified and prevented, and if there are grounds, the question is raised of bringing guilty individuals and legal entities to the appropriate type of responsibility.

Carrying out prosecutorial supervision over compliance with anti-corruption legislation, prosecutors issue representations, protests, warnings, and decisions.

The Prosecutor’s Office actively participates in law-making activities, which may directly relate to anti-corruption issues. The prosecutor’s office is one of the main subjects of the anti-corruption examination of regulatory and draft regulatory legal acts.

Based on the above, it is clear that the prosecutor’s office is entrusted with a very wide scope of powers to carry out this type of activity, the implementation of which brings certain results.

Thus, the activities of the prosecutor’s office continue to be an effective and still relevant measure to prevent the commission of corruption offences.

Department of Sociology of Law

During my stay at the department, I was very pleased to meet with the head of the department Isabel Schoultz and Professor Anna Lundberg. Everyone in the department welcomed us warmly.

The Department of Sociology of Law has created all necessary conditions for researchers.

About Sweden in general

Sweden is one of the most developed countries in Europe. Sweden ranks 4^th in the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, 5^th in the Corruption Perceptions Index and 6^th in the 2023 World Happiness Index. Here, the values ​​of people’s lives are given special importance.

Lund is one of the oldest cities located in southern Sweden, which is also known as a student city. A small, cosy and very green city was founded at the end of the 10th century.

Lund is also located in Skåne, or Scania, a southern Swedish region with magnificent nature and rich agricultural traditions.

Lund is a regional centre for high-tech companies. Companies with offices in Lund include Sony Mobile Communications, Ericsson, Arm Holdings and Microsoft. Other important industries in the community include pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, publishing and library services.

Summing up, during my secondment, I was given the opportunity to use Lund University’s electronic resource database, exchange views with project participants who shared invaluable ideas on how to conduct research using different methods and achieve my research goals. Most importantly, I gained insight into new research methods that will be useful for my future research activities. Thus, this project provided a unique path to further expand my knowledge in the relevant field.

In particular, I became familiar with the practice of conducting research on problems arising in practice and considering the issue of introducing appropriate changes to legislation based on the results of these studies.

In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Department of Sociology of Law at Lund University and the project “MOCCA: Multilevel Orders of Corruption in Central Asia” for the excellent organization of my secondment.

Welcome to my blog post about the secondment experience at Zhetysu University in Kazakhstan!

My name is Marina Perglova. I am a PhD student at Charles University in Prague, Department of Russian and East European Studies. As part of the “MOCCA: Multilevel Orders of Corruption in Central Asia“ project, I was lucky enough to visit Zhetysu University in Taldykorgan (Kazakhstan) for a period of almost two months (07/10/2023-08/31/2023). Taldykorgan is a small city with a population of about 140 thousand people, located 3-4 hours’ drive from Almaty, and is the centre of the Zhetysu region. This is a fairly green city with a very diverse ethnic composition of the population, which adds to the uniqueness of this place. The city’s favourable location also allowed me to travel to Almaty several times.

Zhetysu University in Taldykorgan

In Taldykorgan and Almaty, I conducted field research among local Russian youth to identify the characteristics of the anti-corruption consciousness of the younger generation. I collected about 20 semi-structured and informal interviews with local youth during the research. The choice of topic was determined primarily by the fact that young people appear as the most socially active and developing part of society, which, in turn, should become a source of future transformations. Studying the issue of values and perceptions of young people is of great importance both for understanding current social processes in society and for practical application – the formation and timely transformation of the state’s youth policy.

The main problem in conducting the research was the search for respondents, which was complicated by the sensitivity of the research topic and distrust on the part of young people, so the first two weeks were devoted mainly to adaptation and implementation into the youth environment, as well as gaining their trust. Other project participants who work at Zhetysu University also helped me find respondents. I was pleasantly surprised by how the university staff met me, although it was summertime and many of them were on vacation, and throughout my stay in Kazakhstan, they tried to help me with my research. For example, Nazgul Baigabatova helped me organize a meeting at the House of Friendship („Дом дружбы“), where I met both with representatives of the Almaty Regional Russian Center and with local Russian youth in Taldykorgan, which also contributed to finding the first respondents for my research.

However, various unforeseen situations arose during my secondment that could be perceived more as adventures. So, for example, on the first day, I arrived after a long flight from Prague to Almaty with a transfer to Antalya and then drove to Taldykorgan in the heat of  +40 degrees. For example, when we were travelling by local bus from Taldykorgan to Almaty and our engine overheated, we could not go further. We stayed halfway to Almaty in the desert in +40 heat without a signal. It was an unforgettable adventure. But we met other fellow travellers and had quite an interesting time. After 2 hours, another bus came for us. 😄

In addition to the field research, as I mentioned above, I had the opportunity to meet many other participants in both this project and the Central Asian Law project from Switzerland and Turkey who also conducted research in Taldykorgan, and make friendly contacts for possible future cooperation. We lived as one family in a guest house, and every day, we exchanged experience and knowledge, discussed our research, the latest news, what was new in the dormitory, local camels, where the most delicious Lagman, etc. 🙂

Thanks to this secondment, I discovered Kazakhstan! It is a wonderful country for both visiting and tourism and for research. Excellent cuisine, which is actually a mixture of cuisines of the peoples of Central Asia, East Slavic cuisine, Turkish, Uyghur, etc. The hospitality of the Kazakh people is admirable. Of course, it is worth noting a completely different rhythm of life, more silence, relaxation, and nature. It was a very pleasant place with its own local flavor, and interesting for research.

Local camels

                   Local Lagman