Digitalization And Political Transformation In Central Asia

Abstract

This article examines the political implications of digitalization in Central Asia through a comparative institutional approach. Focusing on Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, it analyzes how the deployment of e-government, social media expansion, and digital civic tools reshape state-society dynamics. Methodologically, the study combines comparative institutional analysis with a structured synthesis of academic, policy, and institutional sources. Moving beyond technological determinism, the study develops an Institutional Mediation Framework. The findings indicate that identical digital infrastructures generate divergent political outcomes depending on state capacity, legal frameworks, and information environments. Digitalization has potentially divergent effects: it can improve administrative efficiency and public-service delivery while also expanding the capacity of state institutions to coordinate, regulate, and monitor activity in digital environments.