Forum for Uzbek and Silk Road Studies Virtual Seminar Series
Networks of Privilege? Wealth and Human Capital Effects of Communist Party Connections
Dr Olga Popova, Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies
Date: Tuesday, March 10 2026
Time: 12:00 UK / 17:00 Tashkent Time
Join via Teams: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/47070903308127?p=bRux4ES8K5LwrQjHW4
Privilege exists in every society. However, little is known about the returns to the exposure to networks of privilege (NoP). We study the effect of exposure to a specific network of privilege in Soviet communist regimes, where membership of a single party, the Communist Party (CP), allowed individuals and their families access to a NoP in Eastern European countries. We study whether access to such NoP affected the accumulation of wealth and human capital. Using a plausible instrumental variable strategy and exploiting cross-country variation from countries exposed to Soviet communism, we show that access to the NoP privilege substantially enhanced tertiary education attainment under Soviet communism and provided human capital and wealth effects. Such effects are driven by changes in labour market opportunities and attitudes toward informal networks relevant during the transition period.
Organised by the Forum for Uzbek and Silk Road Studies