OxTalks will soon move to the new Halo platform and will become 'Oxford Events.' There will be a need for an OxTalks freeze. This was previously planned for Friday 14th November – a new date will be shared as soon as it is available (full details will be available on the Staff Gateway).
In the meantime, the OxTalks site will remain active and events will continue to be published.
If staff have any questions about the Oxford Events launch, please contact halo@digital.ox.ac.uk
State capture by wealthy elites is a widespread phenomenon in developing democracies, yet the mechanisms through which it works and the impact it has on political and policy outcomes remain poorly understood. In this research, I develop a network-based approach to studying captured legislatures and argue that, in the context of a competitive political environment and weak rule of law, oligarchs defend their wealth by promoting as members of parliament individuals who are linked to them via interpersonal ties. Using unique data and social network analysis, I uncover the hidden networks of interpersonal connections among nearly 1,000 legislators and oligarchs in Ukraine over the course of two parliamentary convocations (2014–2024). I then demonstrate that these networks facilitate the adoption of policies that align with oligarchs’ economic interests and shape policymaking more broadly. The study provides important insights for understanding money in politics, oligarchy, state capture, neopatrimonialism, legislative politics, and political representation.
