Research

русский

← Overview

My research is qualitative and interdisciplinary within political science,
with a strong international-relations and area-studies component and
a complementary engagement with comparative politics, informed by contemporary history. Empirically, I focus on post-Soviet Eurasia—
especially Central Asia—within a broader comparative perspective.

Methodology Key themes Geographic focus

Methodology

My work relies on qualitative methods. Depending on the research question and the available sources, I use the following methods and analytical approaches (the list is indicative rather than exhaustive):

Research design and inference

Process tracing: reconstructing temporal sequences and tracing plausible causal mechanisms within cases by systematically analyzing a large and diverse body of written sources.
Comparative analysis: defining key dimensions for comparison, compiling comparable evidence across cases, and conducting structured comparisons, while being explicit about data gaps and the limits they place on conclusions.
Synthesis: bringing together evidence from extensive qualitative materials to identify recurring patterns and draw carefully qualified generalizations, with explicit attention to the limits of inference.

Analytical techniques

Mixed content analysis: combining qualitative coding with basic quantitative text analysis to identify meaningful recurring collocations and phrases as well as salient low-frequency formulations, examine how they are used, and analyze their contexts; supported by qualitative data analysis (QDA) software and additional text-analysis tools.

Theoretical framing

Theory-informed analysis: using relevant theoretical and conceptual frameworks to guide the interpretation of empirical evidence.

Key themes

Selected publications are listed under each theme.

Border studies

Cross-border cooperation

Golunov, Sergei, and Assel Bitabar. 2025. Bridging Borders: Central Asian Cross-Border Cooperation in a Comparative Global Perspective. SpringerBriefs in Political Science. – Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Golunov, Sergei. 2025. “Beyond Eurocentrism: rethinking cross-border Cooperation in a Global Context.” Alternatives: Global, Local, Political [online first].

Formal and informal border crossing practices

Golunov, Sergei. 2018. “Balancing between legality and Illegality: Russian import of Japanese used cars and unauthorized export of Russian marine bioresources to Japan.” Pacific Affairs 91 (3): 499–522.
Golunov, Sergei. 2017. “Shuttle trade across Russia’s borders with the Baltic states and Poland: between tolerance and suppression.” East European Politics & Societies and Cultures 31 (4): 885–908.
Golunov, Sergei. 2013. EU-Russian border crossing: the dialogical perspective. Geopolitics, 18 (4), 933–953.

Border security

Golunov, Sergei, and Vera Smirnova. 2021. “Russian border controls in times of the COVID-19 pandemic: social, political, and economic Implications.” Problems of Post-Communism 69 (1): 71–82.
Golunov, Sergei. 2012. Russian Border Security: Challenges, (Mis)Perceptions, and Responses. London and New York: Routledge.

Political aspects of energy security

Golunov, Sergei. 2023. “Energy security of post-Soviet de facto states: challenges, conflicts, and interdependence” [in Russian]. Mirovaya Ekonomika i Mezhdunarodnye Otnosheniya (World Economy and International Relations) 67 (12): 116–126.
Golunov, Sergei. 2021. “The energy toolkit of statecraft: the cases of Russia and the USA”. Mezhdunarodnye Protsessy (International Trends) 19, no. 1e (64): 41–54.

Higher education policy responses to academic malpractices

Golunov, Sergei. 2014. Elephant in the Room: Corruption and Cheating in Russian Universities. Stuttgart: Ibidem-Verlag.
Golunov, Sergei. 2010. “Student plagiarism as a challenge to higher education in Russia and abroad” [in Russian]. Voprosy obrazovaniya (Educational Studies) Moscow, no. 3 (December): 243–257.

Conspiracy theorizing in politics

Golunov, Sergei. 2024. “Commissioned book review: Scott Radnitz, Revealing Schemes: The Politics of Conspiracy in Russia and the Post-Soviet Region.” Political Studies Review 22 (1): NP1–NP2.
Golunov, Sergei, and Vera Smirnova. 2016. “Proliferation of conspiracy narratives in post-Soviet Russia: The ‘Dulles’ Plan’ in social and political discourses.” Acta Slavica Iaponica 37: 21–45.

Central Asian integration in comparative perspective

Edited-volume chapter on the applicability of ASEAN experience to Central Asian integration (full bibliographic details forthcoming).

Comparative public policy and administrative governance

A comparative focus on policy and administrative management in selected sectors, and on how these issues are positioned and contested in domestic politics.

Geographic focus

My primary empirical focus is post-Soviet Eurasia, with particular attention to Central Asia. In some projects, I also use broader cross-regional comparisons to situate the findings in a global perspective.

Methodology

My work relies on qualitative methods. Depending on the research question and the available sources, I use the following methods and analytical approaches (the list is indicative rather than exhaustive):

Research design and inference

Analytical techniques

Theoretical framing

Key themes

Selected publications are listed under each theme.

Border studies

Cross-border cooperation

Formal and informal border crossing practices

Border security

Political aspects of energy security

Higher education policy responses to academic malpractices

Conspiracy theorizing in politics

Central Asian integration in comparative perspective

Comparative public policy and administrative governance

Geographic focus

My primary empirical focus is post-Soviet Eurasia, with particular attention to Central Asia. In some projects, I also use broader cross-regional comparisons to situate the findings in a global perspective.

© 2026 Sergei Golunov. All rights reserved.