ABSTRACT
The problem of regional integration and decentralization in Central Asia is relevant at least from two points of view. From the positive perspective, economic and political transition is hardly limited to the clear structure of a nation-state. Much more often, it results in shifts of authority and economic relations both between and within states (Ananyin 2005). Regional economic integration and political, administrative and fiscal decentralization represent just individual aspects of these changes. Hence, these shifts may become a crucial factor explaining the outcomes of economic development, and are worth studying. From the normative perspective, both decentralization and international economic integration are often claimed to be able to act as an important trigger to overcome the problems of institutional quality in the region. In the post-Soviet world territorial decentralization of power and devolution of services to municipal self-governance level are often considered as key elements of successful transformation. Though the issue of the regional integration is perceived differently for different regions of the former Soviet Union, the overall consensus is that increasing regional cooperation could be helpful for Central Asia from the point of view of economic development and overcoming common problems (Gleason 2001).
