VDM Verlag Post-Soviet Energy Wealth: a Comparative Study of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan

The issue of oil politics is certainly complex and multi-faceted. This thesis will focus on analysis of economic development of oil-rich countries, because it is one of the broad and important topics due to the vital role of natural resources for every country. In particular, I find it necessary to focus on particular examples of two countries from the same region. This thesis seeks to explain why Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have not had a similar path in developing economically regardless of their similarity in abundance of natural resources, undiversified economies, political structures based on colonial legacies, and types of political regime. It is important to write on this topic because relatively little has been written on the issue. This thesis uses qualitative method of comparative analysis of the development of the oil and gas sectors and regime maintenance in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan as a case study. About the Author In 2005, Dilyara Teshebayeva studied at Bard College in New York, USA, at the program of Globalization and International Affairs. In 2008 she got her Master's Degree from the Department of International Relations and European Studies at Central European University. Her research interests focus on politics of oil, natural resources, rentierism.