CGM and Kyiv School of Economics Collaborate on Edited Journal Volume on War in Ukraine


The Center for Governance and Markets together with the Kyiv School of Economics are collaborating on a multi-disciplinary special issue of the Journal of Public Finance and Public Choice (JPFPC) entitled, "The Political Economy of the Conflict in Ukraine."

Different applied and theoretical questions may be addressed from a variety of perspectives (game theory, geopolitics, international political economy, new institutional economics, political economy, public choice, rational choice, realism, etc.). The following are illustrative (though not exhaustive) questions and topics relevant to the special issue:

What are the contrasting insights of the predatory as opposed to the public good perspective on the state as an explanation for Russia’s invasion?

What is the relationship between corruption reforms in Ukraine and ability to provide for collective security?

What role do power politics and territory play in starting the conflict? 

Should realpolitik be more central to economic analysis?

How might theories of decentralized and distributed collective defense and collective security explain the successful response of Ukraine to Russia? 

What are the economic, political, and social aspects of Ukraine’s response to Russia?

Is the doux commerce thesis dead? 

What are the externality effects of the Ukrainian refugees on Europe and the world?

To what extent does the dramatic situation in Ukraine inform questions about the relationship between governance institutions and the effectiveness of foreign assistance? Possible comparisons to foreign assistances in Afghanistan and Ukraine may be relevant. 

To what extent do the institutional foundations and quality of local governance influence the resilience of local communities during the war? Whether local governance (or its absence) can be a factor that explains variation of conflicts and reconciliations globally may be relevant.

What is the relationship between taxation, public procurement, and state capacity as an explanation for the extent and success of Ukraine’s response to Russia’s invasion? 

How might the relationship between NATO and the situation in Ukraine be understood from the club theory of goods or theories of rent-seeking?

How might an economic or public choice perspective inform designs for a lasting peace agreement over borders between Ukraine and Russia?

Additional topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the relationship between Russian political institutions and the conflict decision; cryptogiving, blockchains and decentralized provision of public goods for the supply of security and humanitarian assistance in Ukraine; economic freedom and its relationship to conflict; analysis of the costs of the conflict in Ukraine and the political economy of reconstruction; and the design and effectiveness of sanctions.

We are inviting abstracts (max 250 words) for this JPFPC special issue. Selected abstracts will be invited for submission of a full article, which will then undergo regular JPFPC double-blind anonymous peer review. Should insufficient papers be selected for a special issue, there will be a JPFPC special section. Our plan is to publish all accepted papers open access.

The submission date for the abstract is July 20th, 2022, and for the full paper is December 15th, 2022. Individuals interested in contributing should send abstracts to Professor Ilia Murtazashvili (ilia.murtazashvili@pitt.edu). The guest editors in coordination with the Editor in chief and Editor will then select the abstracts to invite for submission to the special issue. Decisions on invitations to submit full articles will be made by August 1st, 2022.

A pdf of the call for papers is here

Guest Editors of JPFPC:
Tymofii Brik (Kyiv School of Economics)
Ilia Murtazashvili (University of Pittsburgh)
Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili (University of Pittsburgh)
Tymofiy Mylovanov (Kyiv School of Economics)