My name is Sebastian Mayer, and I am an international relations scholar specializing in Eurasian and transatlantic security. My recent research focuses on security regionalism and regime complexity in Central Asia, including anti-corruption. I currently serve as a DAAD Associate Professor of International Relations at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
During May and June 2025, I undertook a research stay at Lund University’s Sociology of Law Department, home to the MOCCA anti-corruption project. My work focused on my MOCCA project titled “Emergence and Effectiveness of the Central Asian Anti-Corruption Regime Complex.” It critically examines eight international organizations active in Central Asia’s anti-corruption landscape—the Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, OECD, OSCE, EAG, United Nations, European Union, and Council of Europe. Together, these organizations form the regime complex whose institutional repertoires and design features I analyze, with a focus on their interplay, differentiation, coherence, and overall effectiveness.
I presented this research at the hybrid MOCCA Mid-Term Conference held at Lund University from May 6–8, 2025, alongside over 60 scholars and practitioners from Europe and Central Asia. The conference was highly stimulating, offering valuable networking opportunities and deepening my understanding of anti-corruption perspectives and practices. During my stay at the Department, I further developed, particularly the sections on institutional interaction and effectiveness.
I also presented another research project, “From Norm-Diffusion to Organized Hypocrisy? The OSCE as a Contested Security Institution,” which centers on internal contestation within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. This research is more relevant for an upcoming EU Horizon project starting in January 2026.
I greatly enjoyed engaging discussions with colleagues, including Sherzod, Rustam, Chekhros, and Dilaver, and also appreciated the charming medieval city center of Lund, with its cobblestone streets and historic half-timbered houses, along my daily walk from Klostergården to the department near the impressive university library.
I am grateful to the MOCCA team and the Sociology of Law Department for their warm hospitality and support during this enriching two-month stay. I look forward to future collaborations within MOCCA and beyond and hope our paths cross again soon.