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Kickoff Workshop for the DeFacto Project

The kickoff workshop for the ‘Dynamics of de facto state patron-client relations’ (DeFacto) project was held on September 16, 2020. 

Defacto Project Kickoff Workshop, held via Zoom September 16, 2020.

Photo: Screenshot by John O'Loughlin

Defacto Project Kickoff Workshop, held via Zoom September 16, 2020.

Photo: Screenshot by John O'Loughlin

Due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 virus, the workshop was held online.

After a round of introductions, project participants and experts discussed the project plan, deliverables, and individual contributions by the expert team. The project covers all eight existing de facto states that have a patron: Abkhazia, Donetsk, Luhansk, Nagorno-Karabakh, Northern Cyprus, South Ossetia, Taiwan and Transnistria.

Project deliverables include surveys in all eight de-facto states, an edited volume, and peer-reviewed articles in international journals. In addition, the team will engage in a number of outreach activities, including public seminars, op-eds, policy briefs, and podcasts.

Themes

  • Development policy
  • Russia and Eurasia
  • Conflict
  • Governance

Fact

Through surveys, fieldwork and expert interviews, the DeFacto project aims to address three overarching questions:

  • How do popular attitudes restrain/resource de facto state leaders vis-a-vis the patron?
  • How do these leaders navigate between domestic demands and the patron's expectations?
  • And how do patron states exert their influence?