R4D Tanzania

Left behind in transition? Poverty, social networks and social support amongst older people in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Impact Report.

Thu, 26 May 2011 05:11 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: Falkingham, J.; Evandrou, M.

Production Year: 2011

Citation: Falkingham, JC, et al (2011) Left Behind in Transition? Poverty, Social Networks and Social Support amongst Older People in Central Asia and the Caucasus ESRC Impact Report, RES-167-25-0191. Swindon: ESRC.

Summary: The main scientific impact of the project has been an improved empirical understanding of the well-being of older people living in the poorest countries of the former soviet union, most notably Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Tajikistan, where the in-depth qualitative research took place. It highlighted the limited role played by public transfers and the significance of private transfers, especially remittances, in providing a safety net. Intergenerational exchanges however operate in both directions, with grandparents providing support for grandchildren.

Poverty, out of pocket payments and access to health care: evidence from Tajikistan.

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 05:06 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: Falkingham, J.

Production Year: 2004

Citation: Social Science and Medicine (2004) 58 (2) 247-258 [doi:10.1016/S0277-9536(03)00008-X]

Summary: Most countries of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) have either initiated or are contemplating reform of the health sector. With negative real income growth and falling government revenues, a key concern of many governments is to secure additional finance through non-budgetary sources such as hypothecated payroll taxes, voluntary insurance, and increased private finance through patient cost-sharing. However, before such reforms can be considered, information is needed both on the current levels and distribution of household expenditures on health care, and the extent to which increased charges may affect access to health services, especially amongst the poor. This paper uses the Tajikistan Livings Standard Survey to investigate the level and distribution of out-of-pocket payments for health care in Tajikistan and to examine the extent to which such payments act as barriers to health-care access. The data show that there are significant differences in health-care utilisation rates across socio-economic groups and that these differences are related to ability to pay. Official and informal payments are acting both to deter people from seeking medical assistance and once advice has been sought, from receiving the most appropriate treatment. Despite informal exemptions, out-of-pocket payments for health care are exacting a high toll on household welfare with households being forced to sell assets or go into debt to meet the costs of care. Urgent action is needed to ensure equity in access to health care.

Tajikistan: Stability First

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 05:14 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: A. Matveeva

Production Year: 2009

Citation: Taiwan Journal of Democracy (2009) 5 (1) 163-186

Summary: Tajikistan emerged from civil war as stable, but not democratic. It is a mimicry of democracy, where the regime maintains a firm grip on power behind an institutional façade and bases legitimacy on security provision. A power-sharing agreement ended the war, with predatory-driven opposition actors agreeing to authoritarian peace in exchange for access to state assets. After the peace deal, Russian intervention was disjointed from that of Western donors who chose not to work with Moscow. This deprived Westerners of leverage and unleashed geopolitical rivalries. Few resources, limited understanding of the context, and conflicting objectives led to reduced international influence.

Left behind in transition : the well-being of older people in the Central Asian states of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 07:52 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: Falkingham, J.; Evandrou, M.; Grant, G.; Baschieri, A.

Production Year: 2008

Citation: Reinventing retirement : reshaping health and financial security for the EU27 and Eastern Europe conference, Durnstein, Austria, 23-24 October 2008.

Left behind in transition? : the well-being of older people in Tajikistan

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:04 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: Falkingham, J.; Baschieri, A.; Evandrou, M.; Grant, G.

Production Year: 2009

Citation: CRA discussion paper, 0901, Centre for Research on Ageing, Southampton, 2009

Crisis States Summary Report

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 07:12 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: Crisis States Research Centre

Production Year: 2010

Citation: London, UK: Crisis States Research Centre, London School of Economics. 3 pp.

Summary: The key research questions and main research findings of Phase II of the Crisis States Research Centre programme are summarised. Research has been conducted in three streams: Development as State Making; Cities and Fragile States; and Global and Regional Axes of Conflict.

The Development of Civil Society in Central Asia.

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:32 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: J. Giffen, L. Earle and C. Buxton

Production Year: 2006

Citation: 143 pp.

Summary: This book is based upon a series of research studies undertaken by local research institutes, academics and NGOs in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan between 1999 and 2003. The studies had a dual aim: firstly, to deepen understanding of the dynamics of civil society development in these countries, and secondly, to strengthen local institutions’ research capacity in data collection and analysis. Drawing on the findings of these studies and placing them within the wider body of programmatic experience and research undertaken by INTRAC and its local partners since 1994, this book will provide insight into the way in which civil society has developed during the period of Central Asian independence to date. Maintaining a critical stance and acknowledging the complexity of Central Asian realities, it examines how civil society has been shaped, hindered and enriched by internal and external forces, both contemporary and historical. Combining findings from empirical case studies with analysis of relevant literature, this book is both an investigation into the specificities of Central Asian civil societies and a broader examination of the emergence of civil society in ‘transition’ countries.

Working Paper No. 46. The Perils of Emerging Statehood: civil war and state reconstruction in Tajikistan.

Thu, 21 May 2009 01:55 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: A. Matveeva

Production Year: 2009

Citation: Working Paper No. 46 (series 2), London, UK; Crisis States Research Centre, 61 pp.

Summary: This paper presents an analytical narrative of the process of civil war and state formation in Tajikistan. The purpose of the study is to assist in identifying causal mechanisms for the civil war and state breakdown. The paper provides a brief historical account of the establishment of Tajikistan during Soviet times, then proceeds to assess how political contestation unfolded when the Soviet system fell apart and how this has changed over time. It analyses why the violence started and how the state managed to survive, how it responded to crises, and how it was actively engaged in their creation. Lastly, it discusses the factors contributing to and hindering state reconstruction after the war.

The study does not attempt to cover all aspects of the modern political history of Tajikistan and concentrates on internal developments, providing a brief account of the roles of external powers to put events into context. This is consistent with the main argument of the paper that internal factors were largely responsible both for the crisis and subsequent recreation of the state, while external forces played mitigating or exacerbating roles. The study is based on a review of the existing literature in English and in Russian, and identifies any gaps in current research. It is supplemented by field interviews conducted by the author in Tajikistan between 2003 and 2007.

Crisis States Research Centre. Annual Report Oct 2007 – Sept 2008

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:15 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous

Production Year: 2009

Citation: 38 pp.

Summary: Progress on outputs and impact is reported.

Working Paper No. 39. The SCO: a regional organisation in the making.

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:22 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: A. Matveeva and A. Giustozzi

Production Year: 2008

Citation: Crisis States Working Papers Series No.2, No. 39, 32 pp.

Summary: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which was established in 2001, comprises six Eurasian states (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) and covers territory hosting a quarter of the world's population. This article examines the rapid growth of the SCO. The study is structured in the following way: it first assesses the recent history of violence and potential for conflict in the region, and then outlines the SCO mandate, balance of power and internal and external dynamics. It discusses the SCO's shared values, and how they facilitate or impede the development of common action. It then proceeds to outline the SCO's main activities in the security sphere and its 'alternative model' of statehood and covers the role of observers and other actors in the region vis-à-vis the SCO. Finally it concludes with reflections on the SCO's effectiveness. Some of our judgements are tentative because the SCO is a new organisation. It might well become a major player in Central Asia and beyond but it could also limp along with little impact if Sino-Russian relations deteriorate.