How corruption and anti-corruption policies sustain hybrid regimes. strategies of political domination under Ukraine’s presidents in 1994-2014

This book argues that leaders of hybrid regimes in pursuit of polit- ical domination and material gain instrumentalize both hidden forms of corruption and public anti-corruption policies. Corruption is pursued for different purposes including cooperation with stra- tegic partners and exclusion of opponents. Presidents use anti-cor- ruption policies to legitimize and institutionalize political domina- tion. Corrupt practices and anti-corruption policies become two sides of the same coin and are exercised to maintain an uneven po- litical playing field. This study combines empirical analysis and social constructiv- ism for an investigation into the presidencies of Leonid Kuchma (1994–2005), Viktor Yushchenko (2005–2010) and Viktor Yanu- kovych (2010–2014). Explorative expert interviews, press surveys, content analysis of presidential speeches, as well as critical assess- ment of anti-corruption legislation, provide data for comparison and process tracing of the utilization of corruption under three Ukrainian presidents.