Kleptopedia / The Anatomy of the System
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Kleptocracy

Kleptocracy

Term (RU): Клептократия
Schema: DefinedTerm

Working Definition

A system of governance in which those in power exploit national resources and public office for personal enrichment, with near-total impunity for the ruling circle.

Analytical Use on This Site

“Kleptocracy” is employed as a descriptive analytical label drawn from the secondary literature (notably Dawisha 2014 and subsequent think-tank work). It characterises a pattern in which:

  • formal institutions (ministries, state corporations, regulatory bodies) are subordinated to rent-extraction logics;
  • the distinction between public office and private gain is systematically eroded for the innermost circle;
  • accountability mechanisms that would constrain elite enrichment are neutralised or instrumentalised.

The term is paired with the more specific mechanisms of kleptocratic extraction (see the dedicated mechanism page) and is distinguished from classic 1990s oligarchy: the latter implied a degree of independence from the political centre; the former implies dependence on and service to the vertical of power.

Key Sources

  • Karen Dawisha, Putin’s Kleptocracy: Who Owns Russia? (2014)
  • Chatham House definitional and analytical work on kleptocracy (2022 and related)
  • Atlantic Council research series on sanctioned kleptocracy

See Also

Key Sources & Evidence Base

  • Karen Dawisha – Putin’s Kleptocracy (2014) secondary
  • Chatham House – What is kleptocracy and how does it work? (2022) secondary

Related Entities