Tena Prelec
@tenaprelec.bsky.social
Dr. of the semi-useless type. Anticorruption, Balkans, Russia, EU, Londongrad. Asst Prof at the University of Rijeka, honorary research fellow at Exeter & Sussex, BiEPAG member. WP leader, GEO-POWER-EU. Co-author of Indulging Kleptocracy (OUP, 2025)
#EUEnlargement The European Commission has released its annual country reports. Wondering what’s new on the Western Balkan front, how countries compare to previous years, and what the key takeaways are? BiEPAG has you covered: www.biepag.eu/blog
November 5, 2025 at 11:44 AM
#EUEnlargement The European Commission has released its annual country reports. Wondering what’s new on the Western Balkan front, how countries compare to previous years, and what the key takeaways are? BiEPAG has you covered: www.biepag.eu/blog
New OA article @europe-asia.bsky.social: The Incumbency Advantage and the Enabler Effect: How Londongrad Beat the UK AML Regime
Drawing on £2bn of property data, we show that not a single incumbent kleptocrat (0/72!) lost their UK assets.
with @jheathershaw.bsky.social T. Mayne & S. Tokubayev
Drawing on £2bn of property data, we show that not a single incumbent kleptocrat (0/72!) lost their UK assets.
with @jheathershaw.bsky.social T. Mayne & S. Tokubayev
November 3, 2025 at 11:46 AM
New OA article @europe-asia.bsky.social: The Incumbency Advantage and the Enabler Effect: How Londongrad Beat the UK AML Regime
Drawing on £2bn of property data, we show that not a single incumbent kleptocrat (0/72!) lost their UK assets.
with @jheathershaw.bsky.social T. Mayne & S. Tokubayev
Drawing on £2bn of property data, we show that not a single incumbent kleptocrat (0/72!) lost their UK assets.
with @jheathershaw.bsky.social T. Mayne & S. Tokubayev
It was great to have you with us, Filip & @eui-eu.bsky.social team!
Long overdue, but wonderful to celebrate together: Croatia has joined the European University Institute. Looking forward to new generations of PhDs, postdocs, and academic collaboration with Europe’s best and brightest.
Long overdue, but wonderful to celebrate together: Croatia has joined the European University Institute. Looking forward to new generations of PhDs, postdocs, and academic collaboration with Europe’s best and brightest.
Last week, I presented my research at the University of Rijeka (@unirijeka.bsky.social) during an event celebrating Croatia's accession to @eui-eu.bsky.social. I am grateful to the session's chair, Tena Prelec (@tenaprelec.bsky.social), & the audience for great questions & engagement.
November 3, 2025 at 10:43 AM
It was great to have you with us, Filip & @eui-eu.bsky.social team!
Long overdue, but wonderful to celebrate together: Croatia has joined the European University Institute. Looking forward to new generations of PhDs, postdocs, and academic collaboration with Europe’s best and brightest.
Long overdue, but wonderful to celebrate together: Croatia has joined the European University Institute. Looking forward to new generations of PhDs, postdocs, and academic collaboration with Europe’s best and brightest.
Reposted by Tena Prelec
Democracy, security, enlargement, and the future of Europe – these were just some of the big topics discussed at this year’s #CresSummerSchool.
As a result, 18 young people from 13 European countries wrote a joint op-ed:
🗞️ This is the state of our Union!
👉 europeanwesternbalkans.com/2025/10/20/t...
As a result, 18 young people from 13 European countries wrote a joint op-ed:
🗞️ This is the state of our Union!
👉 europeanwesternbalkans.com/2025/10/20/t...
October 22, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Democracy, security, enlargement, and the future of Europe – these were just some of the big topics discussed at this year’s #CresSummerSchool.
As a result, 18 young people from 13 European countries wrote a joint op-ed:
🗞️ This is the state of our Union!
👉 europeanwesternbalkans.com/2025/10/20/t...
As a result, 18 young people from 13 European countries wrote a joint op-ed:
🗞️ This is the state of our Union!
👉 europeanwesternbalkans.com/2025/10/20/t...
Grateful to @uisweden.bsky.social for hosting my talk on Serbia’s unrest in Stockholm last night. A full house, thoughtful questions from diplomats, academics & the wider public — a real sense that Serbia’s democratic experiment, and its civic energy, resonate far beyond its borders.
October 22, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Grateful to @uisweden.bsky.social for hosting my talk on Serbia’s unrest in Stockholm last night. A full house, thoughtful questions from diplomats, academics & the wider public — a real sense that Serbia’s democratic experiment, and its civic energy, resonate far beyond its borders.
Reposted by Tena Prelec
📢 Tomorrow Assistant Prof. @tenaprelec.bsky.social @cas-see-uniri.bsky.social will present findings on how public attitudes toward democracy & governance in 🇷🇸 have evolved since the 2024 protests from the #GEOPOWEREU project at an event hosted by our consortium partner UI Sweden.🔗 shorturl.at/EzjMF
October 20, 2025 at 1:17 PM
📢 Tomorrow Assistant Prof. @tenaprelec.bsky.social @cas-see-uniri.bsky.social will present findings on how public attitudes toward democracy & governance in 🇷🇸 have evolved since the 2024 protests from the #GEOPOWEREU project at an event hosted by our consortium partner UI Sweden.🔗 shorturl.at/EzjMF
Reposted by Tena Prelec
@tenaprelec.bsky.social presents the notion of #corrosivecapital: econtent.pedis.uop.gr/jmc-eupf-wb/... 3/6.
What is corrosive capital? – EU Foreign Policy and the Western Balkans
econtent.pedis.uop.gr
October 15, 2025 at 8:06 AM
@tenaprelec.bsky.social presents the notion of #corrosivecapital: econtent.pedis.uop.gr/jmc-eupf-wb/... 3/6.
Reposted by Tena Prelec
In @europe-asia.bsky.social we (@tenaprelec.bsky.social et al) show how Londongrad beat the UK AML regime via the incumbency advantage (political elites being in power or favour at home) & enabler effect (networks of highly-skilled legal & financial professionals)
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The Incumbency Advantage and the Enabler Effect: How Londongrad Beat the UK Anti-Money Laundering Regime
The emergence and survival of ‘Londongrad’, despite the UK anti-money laundering regime, is an intellectual and policy conundrum. We analyse an original dataset of £2 billion of domestic real estat...
www.tandfonline.com
October 9, 2025 at 10:20 AM
In @europe-asia.bsky.social we (@tenaprelec.bsky.social et al) show how Londongrad beat the UK AML regime via the incumbency advantage (political elites being in power or favour at home) & enabler effect (networks of highly-skilled legal & financial professionals)
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Tena Prelec
New paper!
Q: Does State Capture Facilitate Strategic Corruption? www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
A: Not necessarily. Even where states are deeply captured, supra-national and domestic institutions with oversight functions can create regulatory barriers
Q: Does State Capture Facilitate Strategic Corruption? www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
A: Not necessarily. Even where states are deeply captured, supra-national and domestic institutions with oversight functions can create regulatory barriers
Does State Capture Facilitate Strategic Corruption?
Scholars have suggested that great powers seeking to engage in strategic corruption, particularly through corrosive capital, target countries where there are governance weaknesses. This article res...
www.tandfonline.com
September 5, 2025 at 11:21 AM
New paper!
Q: Does State Capture Facilitate Strategic Corruption? www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
A: Not necessarily. Even where states are deeply captured, supra-national and domestic institutions with oversight functions can create regulatory barriers
Q: Does State Capture Facilitate Strategic Corruption? www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
A: Not necessarily. Even where states are deeply captured, supra-national and domestic institutions with oversight functions can create regulatory barriers
A blog I’ve written about the contested concept of Strategic Corruption - more to come (follow @soc-ace.bsky.social if you’d like to hear more!)
I’d like to thank @isrfoundation.bsky.social for their support for this project - wonderful foundation, pursuing a truly innovative approach to research.
I’d like to thank @isrfoundation.bsky.social for their support for this project - wonderful foundation, pursuing a truly innovative approach to research.
Strategic Corruption - A Useful Concept or a Catch-All?
Drawing on insights from a recent ISRF-funded workshop, @tenaprelec.bsky.social reflects on the affordances and limits of the concept of #StrategicCorruption.
#Corruption #InternationalRelations #Democracy
isrf.org/blog/strateg...
Drawing on insights from a recent ISRF-funded workshop, @tenaprelec.bsky.social reflects on the affordances and limits of the concept of #StrategicCorruption.
#Corruption #InternationalRelations #Democracy
isrf.org/blog/strateg...
Strategic Corruption - A Useful Concept or a Catch-All?
Drawing on insights from a recent ISRF-funded workshop, Tena Prelec reflects on the affordances and limits of the concept of ‘strategic corruption’.
isrf.org
September 5, 2025 at 7:41 AM
A blog I’ve written about the contested concept of Strategic Corruption - more to come (follow @soc-ace.bsky.social if you’d like to hear more!)
I’d like to thank @isrfoundation.bsky.social for their support for this project - wonderful foundation, pursuing a truly innovative approach to research.
I’d like to thank @isrfoundation.bsky.social for their support for this project - wonderful foundation, pursuing a truly innovative approach to research.
*New & open access*
We draw on our book Indulging Kleptocracy, reflecting on the importance of networks - even more than states, we argue - in today’s global order.
@oxfordacademic.bsky.social
@jheathershaw.bsky.social
@britishacademy.bsky.social
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/articles/13/...
We draw on our book Indulging Kleptocracy, reflecting on the importance of networks - even more than states, we argue - in today’s global order.
@oxfordacademic.bsky.social
@jheathershaw.bsky.social
@britishacademy.bsky.social
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/articles/13/...
Professional indulgences: the kleptocracy problem and the transformation of global politics
This article discusses the phenomenon of transnational kleptocracy and explains how kleptocrats and oligarchs have been welcomed in rule-of-law settings
The paper summarises a large body of research,...
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk
September 5, 2025 at 7:37 AM
*New & open access*
We draw on our book Indulging Kleptocracy, reflecting on the importance of networks - even more than states, we argue - in today’s global order.
@oxfordacademic.bsky.social
@jheathershaw.bsky.social
@britishacademy.bsky.social
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/articles/13/...
We draw on our book Indulging Kleptocracy, reflecting on the importance of networks - even more than states, we argue - in today’s global order.
@oxfordacademic.bsky.social
@jheathershaw.bsky.social
@britishacademy.bsky.social
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/articles/13/...
Reposted by Tena Prelec
@tenaprelec.bsky.social Tom and I wrote this paper based on @oxunipress.bsky.social Indulging Kleptocracy for @britishacademy.bsky.social journal.
Our global future will be increasingly kleptocratic unless govts enforce their own laws.
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/articles/13/...
Our global future will be increasingly kleptocratic unless govts enforce their own laws.
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/articles/13/...
Professional indulgences: the kleptocracy problem and the transformation of global politics
This article discusses the phenomenon of transnational kleptocracy and explains how kleptocrats and oligarchs have been welcomed in rule-of-law settings
The paper summarises a large body of research,...
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk
September 1, 2025 at 7:42 AM
@tenaprelec.bsky.social Tom and I wrote this paper based on @oxunipress.bsky.social Indulging Kleptocracy for @britishacademy.bsky.social journal.
Our global future will be increasingly kleptocratic unless govts enforce their own laws.
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/articles/13/...
Our global future will be increasingly kleptocratic unless govts enforce their own laws.
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/articles/13/...
Great to see this paper out. Whatever sensitive topic one might tackle - whether it is war crimes, corruption or others - the phenomenon of secrecy in closed institutions is one that raises imp questions, esp. in (semi)authoritarian contexts. Congrats @lanabi.bsky.social @denisakost.bsky.social
🚨⚖️🔍 New paper in Journal of Genocide Research with @denisakost.bsky.social & Timothy Waters we studied secrecy in Serbia’s war crimes trials.
📑Corpus of 164 judgements (1999–2019). Tried OCR+quant methods, but chaotic redactions made it impossible. So we wrote a descriptive, mixed-methods paper
📑Corpus of 164 judgements (1999–2019). Tried OCR+quant methods, but chaotic redactions made it impossible. So we wrote a descriptive, mixed-methods paper
September 5, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Great to see this paper out. Whatever sensitive topic one might tackle - whether it is war crimes, corruption or others - the phenomenon of secrecy in closed institutions is one that raises imp questions, esp. in (semi)authoritarian contexts. Congrats @lanabi.bsky.social @denisakost.bsky.social
Reposted by Tena Prelec
💥Free online conference by the the Italian Institute for the Future.
I could only participate yesterday, but fascinating talks upcoming e.g. @miasmafactory.bsky.social, @tenaprelec.bsky.social, @jlmarti.bsky.social
www.instituteforthefuture.it/frontiers-of...
#philsky #futurestudies #polisky
I could only participate yesterday, but fascinating talks upcoming e.g. @miasmafactory.bsky.social, @tenaprelec.bsky.social, @jlmarti.bsky.social
www.instituteforthefuture.it/frontiers-of...
#philsky #futurestudies #polisky
Frontiers of Politics: Transforming Democracies in the Digital Communication Age – June 19-20 – Italian Institute for the Future
www.instituteforthefuture.it
June 20, 2025 at 2:55 AM
💥Free online conference by the the Italian Institute for the Future.
I could only participate yesterday, but fascinating talks upcoming e.g. @miasmafactory.bsky.social, @tenaprelec.bsky.social, @jlmarti.bsky.social
www.instituteforthefuture.it/frontiers-of...
#philsky #futurestudies #polisky
I could only participate yesterday, but fascinating talks upcoming e.g. @miasmafactory.bsky.social, @tenaprelec.bsky.social, @jlmarti.bsky.social
www.instituteforthefuture.it/frontiers-of...
#philsky #futurestudies #polisky
Reposted by Tena Prelec
📢 On 20 May, Dr. @tenaprelec.bsky.social & Dr. @sonjasg.bsky.social presented at the 🇪🇺 Parliament Library, sharing insights from Indulging Kleptocracy and research from #GEOPOWEREU on corrosive capital.
🔗 Read more: bit.ly/45O7iiP
🔗 Read more: bit.ly/45O7iiP
June 11, 2025 at 12:06 PM
📢 On 20 May, Dr. @tenaprelec.bsky.social & Dr. @sonjasg.bsky.social presented at the 🇪🇺 Parliament Library, sharing insights from Indulging Kleptocracy and research from #GEOPOWEREU on corrosive capital.
🔗 Read more: bit.ly/45O7iiP
🔗 Read more: bit.ly/45O7iiP
Reposted by Tena Prelec
Ditto. I’d like to make sure my research is “in sync” with Trump administration so I’m still able to visit the US, but I’m not sure whether he wants to use our book as a how-to guide for indulging kleptocrats.
@tenaprelec.bsky.social
@tenaprelec.bsky.social
Secretary McMahon, I'd like to make sure my Russian politics research is "in sync" with "what the administration is trying to accomplish," but I'm having a hard time figuring out what that is. Is Putin a very good friend who wants to look good and wants peace, or has he gone crazy? Please advise.
Linda McMahon: "Universities should continue to be able to do research as long as they're abiding by the laws and in sync, I think, with the administration and what the administration is trying to accomplish."
May 28, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Ditto. I’d like to make sure my research is “in sync” with Trump administration so I’m still able to visit the US, but I’m not sure whether he wants to use our book as a how-to guide for indulging kleptocrats.
@tenaprelec.bsky.social
@tenaprelec.bsky.social
Reposted by Tena Prelec
🔊Listen to the ep.15 of
🎙️Seriously Balkans - The #BiEPAGtalks
🔹What the new German Government means for the Balkans
Host:
@fbieber.bsky.social
Guests:
Frauke Seebass, Fellow at @swp-berlin.org & Researcher @dgap.org
Adnan Ćeramagić, Senior Analyst, ESI
🎧 tinyurl.com/5n9y55u8
🎙️Seriously Balkans - The #BiEPAGtalks
🔹What the new German Government means for the Balkans
Host:
@fbieber.bsky.social
Guests:
Frauke Seebass, Fellow at @swp-berlin.org & Researcher @dgap.org
Adnan Ćeramagić, Senior Analyst, ESI
🎧 tinyurl.com/5n9y55u8
May 7, 2025 at 8:47 AM
🔊Listen to the ep.15 of
🎙️Seriously Balkans - The #BiEPAGtalks
🔹What the new German Government means for the Balkans
Host:
@fbieber.bsky.social
Guests:
Frauke Seebass, Fellow at @swp-berlin.org & Researcher @dgap.org
Adnan Ćeramagić, Senior Analyst, ESI
🎧 tinyurl.com/5n9y55u8
🎙️Seriously Balkans - The #BiEPAGtalks
🔹What the new German Government means for the Balkans
Host:
@fbieber.bsky.social
Guests:
Frauke Seebass, Fellow at @swp-berlin.org & Researcher @dgap.org
Adnan Ćeramagić, Senior Analyst, ESI
🎧 tinyurl.com/5n9y55u8
Full house - and a great discussion - at yesterday’s launch event of ThinkEurope in Ljubljana. I represented @cas-see-uniri.bsky.social bringing in some @geopower-eu.bsky.social research into the mix. Good luck to our friends Sabina Lange and Zoran Nechev with this new venture
May 17, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Full house - and a great discussion - at yesterday’s launch event of ThinkEurope in Ljubljana. I represented @cas-see-uniri.bsky.social bringing in some @geopower-eu.bsky.social research into the mix. Good luck to our friends Sabina Lange and Zoran Nechev with this new venture
Next week in the European Parliament!
We’re bringing the fight against enabling to the heart of 🇪🇺
@agillies.bsky.social on enabler networks
@sonjasg.bsky.social on corrosive capital
and your faithful trio on Indulging Kleptocracy
Register: ep-events.secure.europarl.europa.eu/greensefa/ev...
We’re bringing the fight against enabling to the heart of 🇪🇺
@agillies.bsky.social on enabler networks
@sonjasg.bsky.social on corrosive capital
and your faithful trio on Indulging Kleptocracy
Register: ep-events.secure.europarl.europa.eu/greensefa/ev...
May 15, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Next week in the European Parliament!
We’re bringing the fight against enabling to the heart of 🇪🇺
@agillies.bsky.social on enabler networks
@sonjasg.bsky.social on corrosive capital
and your faithful trio on Indulging Kleptocracy
Register: ep-events.secure.europarl.europa.eu/greensefa/ev...
We’re bringing the fight against enabling to the heart of 🇪🇺
@agillies.bsky.social on enabler networks
@sonjasg.bsky.social on corrosive capital
and your faithful trio on Indulging Kleptocracy
Register: ep-events.secure.europarl.europa.eu/greensefa/ev...
Reposted by Tena Prelec
📽️ Watch Helen, our Senior Legal Researcher, talking about the findings of our “Gatekeepers, enablers or technicians?” report, which unpacks the different labels used to describe the role of UK lawyers in combatting #kleptocracy, #statecapture and grand #corruption.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVix...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVix...
Helen Taylor introduces Spotlight's "Gatekeepers, enablers or technicians?" report
YouTube video by Spotlight on Corruption
www.youtube.com
May 1, 2025 at 4:26 PM
📽️ Watch Helen, our Senior Legal Researcher, talking about the findings of our “Gatekeepers, enablers or technicians?” report, which unpacks the different labels used to describe the role of UK lawyers in combatting #kleptocracy, #statecapture and grand #corruption.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVix...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVix...
Reposted by Tena Prelec
Last week, the Indulging Kleptocracy tour went to Geneva to brief a special session of the UN on illicit finance and Paris to speak to the OCED on the book. Thanks to hosts and fellow speakers.
unctad.org/meeting/spec...
@tenaprelec.bsky.social
@oxfordacademic.bsky.social
@cais-exeter.bsky.social
unctad.org/meeting/spec...
@tenaprelec.bsky.social
@oxfordacademic.bsky.social
@cais-exeter.bsky.social
May 7, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Last week, the Indulging Kleptocracy tour went to Geneva to brief a special session of the UN on illicit finance and Paris to speak to the OCED on the book. Thanks to hosts and fellow speakers.
unctad.org/meeting/spec...
@tenaprelec.bsky.social
@oxfordacademic.bsky.social
@cais-exeter.bsky.social
unctad.org/meeting/spec...
@tenaprelec.bsky.social
@oxfordacademic.bsky.social
@cais-exeter.bsky.social
Reposted by Tena Prelec
📚 BOOK LAUNCH & PANEL | 20 May, 12:30h, European Parliament Library
‘Indulging Kleptocracy’ and The Battle Against Transnational Enabling
📍 REGISTRATION: ep-events.secure.europarl.europa.eu/.../eve.../e...
‘Indulging Kleptocracy’ and The Battle Against Transnational Enabling
📍 REGISTRATION: ep-events.secure.europarl.europa.eu/.../eve.../e...
ep-events.secure.europarl.europa.eu
May 13, 2025 at 12:50 PM
📚 BOOK LAUNCH & PANEL | 20 May, 12:30h, European Parliament Library
‘Indulging Kleptocracy’ and The Battle Against Transnational Enabling
📍 REGISTRATION: ep-events.secure.europarl.europa.eu/.../eve.../e...
‘Indulging Kleptocracy’ and The Battle Against Transnational Enabling
📍 REGISTRATION: ep-events.secure.europarl.europa.eu/.../eve.../e...
Looking to apply for a postdoc on corruption, authoritarianism, EU (non) enlargement and other fun topics… and you want to do it while sipping your favourite beverage by the seaside?
Come work with me in Rijeka 🇭🇷 uniri.hr/en/vijesti/m...
Come work with me in Rijeka 🇭🇷 uniri.hr/en/vijesti/m...
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Rijeka 2025. | UNIRI
The University of Rijeka (UNIRI), a modern European University, is looking for motivated postdoctoral researchers (Postdocs) for the Marie-Skłodowska Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA PF)…
uniri.hr
April 23, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Looking to apply for a postdoc on corruption, authoritarianism, EU (non) enlargement and other fun topics… and you want to do it while sipping your favourite beverage by the seaside?
Come work with me in Rijeka 🇭🇷 uniri.hr/en/vijesti/m...
Come work with me in Rijeka 🇭🇷 uniri.hr/en/vijesti/m...
Thank you so much for reading our book! Love your writing @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com
oh! by the way! got a review/essay in Foreign Policy, on Indulging Kleptocracy and the many (many) people who help kleptocrats acquire money, status, networks and legitimacy in the west: foreignpolicy.com/2025/04/18/k...
April 23, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Thank you so much for reading our book! Love your writing @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com
As the US retreats from #anticorruption, the UK and EU need to act together, aligning approaches on enablers, legal accountability & systemic reforms. This op-ed by @jheathershaw.bsky.social, Tom Mayne and I is a first step in joining those dots. More to come. national.thelead.uk/p/time-to-st...
Time to stop indulging kleptocrats: The UK and EU must step up as America steps back
Kleptocracy isn’t some exotic export. It’s made here too. Tena Prelec, John Heathershaw and Tom Mayne write as their new book is published.
national.thelead.uk
March 28, 2025 at 10:53 AM
As the US retreats from #anticorruption, the UK and EU need to act together, aligning approaches on enablers, legal accountability & systemic reforms. This op-ed by @jheathershaw.bsky.social, Tom Mayne and I is a first step in joining those dots. More to come. national.thelead.uk/p/time-to-st...