Research Seminars on Multilevel Orders of Corruption in Central Asia

From Norm-Diffusion to Organized Hypocrisy?

The OSCE as a Contested Security Institution

During the early 1990s before transforming into the OSCE, the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) stimulated confidence-building and transparency and socialized its members “East of Vienna” towards liberal-democratic norms and values. Yet since the late 1990s, the OSCE has been subject to increasingly intense authoritarian contestation from within. A wave of fundamental criticism and calls for substantive reform surfaced from several post-Soviet leaders. Adding to the scholarship on the drivers and effects of IO behavior during crises, this article project raises three related questions: How have the OSCE’s international bureaucracy and key liberal-democratic members responded to these crises, ranging from accommodation and adaptation to status quo maintenance and resistance? Which consequences (if any) did contestation and backlash entail for the OSCE’s mandate and institutional design, comprising its rules, procedures, and organizational structures – including the degree of bureaucratic autonomy – that enable and constrain collective action? Are the OSCE’s current mandate and institutional design conducive to overcoming its severe crisis? The article elucidates these questions utilizing the evolving literature on IO authority contestation. It specifically draws on institutionalist theory to help assess the OSCE’s design features and the extents to which change therein may have rendered the organization more (or less) resilient in times of uncertainty and internal pressure. It is generally assumed that a great degree of IO institutionalization, including bureaucratic autonomy and precise rules, increases the potential of a given IO to fend off pressure and accomplish its stated objectives. Crucially, authoritarian contestation and backlash in the OSCE are not only about its mandate but largely also about its institutional design.

Sebastian Mayer (PhD from European University Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder, Germany) is a political scientist and DAAD Associate Professor at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan).

"I Stayed, But Not Silently”

Upholding Professional Identity as a Catalyst Against Corrupt Practices in Higher Education 

This study explores the role of professional identity as a transformative force in combating systemic corruption within higher education institutions. Titled “I Stayed, But Not Silently”, the research centers on how educators, administrators, and students leverage their professional ethos to resist unethical practices—such as bribery, nepotism, plagiarism, and financial fraud- while remaining embedded within corrupt systems. Through qualitative analysis of stakeholder narratives and institutional case studies, the paper argues that a robust professional identity, rooted in ethical values and accountability, serves as both a moral compass and a catalyst for cultural change. By internalizing norms of integrity, transparency, and collective responsibility, individuals challenge corruption through everyday acts of resistance, from rejecting grade manipulation to advocating for policy reforms. The study highlights mechanisms such as peer accountability, mentorship, and institutional recognition systems that reinforce ethical behavior, while also acknowledging structural barriers like political interference and resource scarcity that undermine such efforts. Ultimately, the findings suggest that nurturing professional identity is not merely an individual endeavor but a strategic institutional priority. It fosters resilience against corruption by transforming passive compliance into active advocacy, thereby reshaping organizational culture from within. This work contributes to broader discourses on anti-corruption strategies, emphasizing the interplay between personal agency, institutional support, and systemic reform in safeguarding the integrity of higher education.

Madina Ishkibayeva, researcher at the Eurasian Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies (Kazakhstan).