Poliitika ja valitsemine digiajastul – Master´s theses

Selle kollektsiooni püsiv URIhttps://hdl.handle.net/10062/82875

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BRICS's role in influencing the state capacity through sanctions-proofing: a comparative analysis of Russia, Iran, and Venezuela (2010–2022)
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Haiduk, Hanna; Wierenga, Louis John, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
State capacity, a pivotal concept in political science, has garnered extensive scholarly attention for its crucial role in shaping human progress. This thesis explores the origins, significance, and measurement of state capacity, emphasizing the influence of foreign policy tools, particularly economic sanctions. Initially, the study delineates the state's definition, tracing its historical evolution and examining its core components as articulated by Tilly and Mann. It then focuses on state capacity, defined by McAdam et al., as the degree of control state agents exercise over persons, activities, and resources within their territorial jurisdiction. The research investigates how economic sanctions, as a coercive foreign policy tool, impact the state capacity of targeted authoritarian regimes. Given the prevalent use of sanctions by the United States, the study selects three case countries—Russia, Iran, and Venezuela—examining the US-imposed secondary and oil sector sanctions. This focus is justified by the significant role of oil in these countries' economies and the global dominance of the US dollar. State capacity is analyzed through three dimensions: coercive, administrative, and extractive, relevant to the context of authoritarian regimes. The study introduces BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) as an explanatory variable, assessing its potential to mitigate the adverse effects of sanctions and support the sanctioned states' economic resilience. Employing qualitative research methods, including process tracing analysis, the thesis aims to elucidate the causal mechanisms linking sanctions, BRICS' interventions, sanctions-proofing tactics and changes in state capacity. Data sources include OFAC for sanctions, OPEC and Statista for oil market fluctuations, and the World Bank for state capacity indicators. The anticipated outcome suggests that countries with strong economic ties to BRICS will better withstand sanctions, maintaining more stable state capacity compared to those without such support. This research contributes to understanding the interplay between international economic policies and state capacities in authoritarian states.
The legacy of left-wing authoritarian regimes on parties' dispersion on the left-right scale: a study of post-communist democracies in the European Union
(Tartu Ülikool, 2025) Kopytsiak, Yuliia; Braghiroli, Stefano, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The collapse of left-wing authoritarian regimes in Central and Eastern Europe initiated a transformative journey toward democratization and European integration. However, the legacy of these regimes continues to shape party competition decades later. While previous studies have explored structural and institutional consequences, the long-term impact on the dispersion of parties along the left–right scale remains understudied. Using ParlGov Releases (2010–2024) and focusing exclusively on EU member states, this thesis analyzes party system polarization (Dalton Polarization) and the ideological center of gravity (Country Ideology), and introduces a novel variable – Right-Wing Concentration (RWC) – to capture the simultaneous rightward shift and ideological narrowing. The study shows that in post-communist democracies, the far left is marginalized without a compensating far-right ascent, resulting in more right-leaning and less polarized party systems compared to consolidated democracies. This pattern intensifies over time within the studied period. By comparing countries with and without left-authoritarian legacies, the study demonstrates that historical background outperforms conventional structural variables in explaining ideological party configurations. These findings underscore the enduring imprint of authoritarian legacies and highlight the need for future research on party polarization in the EU to account for historical determinants alongside institutional, structural, and political factors.

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