Police reforms in the Republic of Georgia: the convergence of domestic and foreign policy in an anti-corruption drive

Managerial agency, risk, and strategic posture: Nonmarket strategies in the transitional core and periphery

“…A future toughening of the country's anti-corruption policy may retroactively affect businessmen (Hitch & Kuchma, 2011;Shlapentokh, 2006). All in all, even in the less institutionally developed EECA countries, bribery is a strategy as risky as it is prevalent (Light, 2014).…”

“Shock Therapy” in Ukraine: A Radical Approach to Post‐Soviet Police Reform

“…In addition, Georgia replaced a number of the most prominent police stations by building new glass-walled structures to house newly hired criminal investigators and public service desks. By 2010, Transparency International found that after the reforms the rate of reported bribes to police (3%) had reached the same level as in North American cities and more than seven times lower than neighbors Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia (as reported in Light (2014)). Moreover, the 40 kingpins of the criminal syndicates (known as thieves-in-law) were imprisoned or had fled the country (Slade, 2012).…”

“…6 Who served as an advisor to Ukraine in 2014 and was appointed Governor of Ukraine's Odessa Region in May 2015. 7 Georgian police reform scholars (Hiscock, 2006;Kukhianidze, 2009;Kakachia and O'Shea, 2012;Light, 2014) agree that 16 000 were fired over the first two years of reform but report entirely different total employment figures for the ministry given the movement of divisions in and out of the ministry over the structural reform period. This study uses 48 000 because the post-reform MIA reported just over 32 000 employees in 2005 after firing some 16 000.…”

Popular Punitiveness? Punishment and Attitudes to Law in Post-Soviet Georgia

“…Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index indicated that, outside the Baltic States, Georgia was now perceived as the least corrupt of all post-Soviet countries by its own citizens. It has even surpassed EU members such as Italy and Greece (Kukhianidze 2009;Kupatadze 2012;Slade 2012;Light 2014).…”

“…The police are easily the most trusted criminal justice institution: in 2011, 66% of respondents 'completely trusted' or 'trusted' the police, which had been completely overhauled between 2004 and 2006. The reforms involved a huge turnover of personnel, the creation of new divisions-including the community oriented Patrol Police-and the provision of new uniforms and technology (Kupatadze et al 2007;Light 2014).…”