Illicit Financial Flows and State Fragility

My proposed research addresses the critical issue of illicit
and tax-avoidance related financial flows (ITAFF) within the
contemporary global development agenda, with a special
focus on 'fragile' states. Analytically, I intend to move
beyond the nation-centric dichotomy between external and
internal factors driving ITAFFs, by situating the
phenomenon of ITAFFs within a world-system analysis of
contemporary capitalism and reconceptualizing these flows
as modes of geographical transfer of value (GTV). This
pursuit necessitates a critical synthesis of neoclassical
perspectives and heterodox traditions of political economy.
The research would comprise three interlinked
investigations. The first segment would critically examine
the construction and dissemination of indices that ascribe
fragility or institutional risk-based scores to nation-states,
uncovering the epistemic hegemony of global financial
hubs, and proximate multilateral institutions, over
contemporary perceptions of 'state capacity' and expected
role of 'institutions'. The second investigation would delve
into the politico-economic factors shaping the choice of
GTV mode, understanding how IFFs become dominant
conduit for GTV in states lacking minimal 'capacity' to
support global accumulation. The third chapter would
explore how IFFs shape the dynamics of extraction and
geographical transfer of rents in resource-rich 'fragile'
settings, where a unique rent-seeking alliance develops
between local and global capital.