This memo seeks to explain the outcomes of anti-corruption policies in Georgia, Armenia, and the de facto republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. In particular, I ask how Georgia could rapidly implement successful police reforms, while Armenia completely failed to do so and Nagorno-Karabakh has partially achieved success. Georgia is in the forefront of reforms not only in the South Caucasus but throughout the CIS, yielding major reductions in corruption throughout its state institutions and especially among the siloviki (power structures, like law enforcement and the courts). Armenia, on the other hand, has evinced a complete failure in its efforts to fight police corruption. Between them, Nagorno-Karabakh has seen some recent success in reducing corruption, particularly in the sphere of highway police reform. What accounts for these differences? […]
