02. Master's Thesis
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Item Restricted Should Kazakhstan join a monetary union?(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2016) Zhukenov, IlyasIn order to answer whether Kazakhstan should or should not join a monetary union, this project gauges the practical ideal type of a monetary union that brings a fair, stable and prosperous exchange rate arrangement. In doing so, it reveals common criteria of such union via careful literature review. Then it compares Kazakhstan‟s current state against these practical criteria using necessary research methods. The evidence suggests that a monetary union within the EAEU is considerably far from its practical ideal type, as most of the revealed criteria are not fully satisfied. Thus, a monetary union within the EAEU would not be feasible for Kazakhstan. Nevertheless, a monetary union between Kazakhstan and Russia might become feasible, but not necessarily beneficial for Kazakhstan in the long-term perspective. These countries might actually experience endogenous real convergence if necessary institutional reforms were made in both countries, thereby increasing the sustainability of a fixed exchange rate arrangement between them.Item Restricted External debt management policy in Kazakhstan(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2016) Tlegenova, Assel; Yeshmagambetova, AzizaThe study is aimed at comprehensive overview of the current external debt management policy in Kazakhstan. As a new modern state with ambitious strategic vision of becoming one of the most developed countries by 2050, Kazakhstan has to introduce sound external debt management institutions and ensure implementation of the effective policy. We examined the structure of statutory bodies engaged in external debt management and assessed their efficiency in regard to the current economic situation in Kazakhstan. The analysis defined positive and negative results of the external debt management policy in Kazakhstan. Philippine external debt management policy of the 1970-1980s was used for development of a new framework for Kazakhstan due to similarities in economic polices focused on attraction of foreign investments and infrastructure development. This framework was adapted to the established political and economic structure and its legislative base in Kazakhstan. The results of this study introduce the external debt management policy with excluded existing gaps in competencies and cooperation among public authorities, and statutory regulations on external debt in Kazakhstan.Item Restricted Health Financing Reform in Kazakhstan: Estonian and Russian experience on implementation of social health insurance system(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2016) Urazov, AlibekThe primarily objective of this study is to make a comparative analysis of health system reforms and determine the most important aspects that deserve attention when reforming Kazakhstani heath system. For this purpose, this study examines the reforms of Estonian and Russian health systems, focusing on the implementation of SHI system. Analysis of countries’ experiences in healthcare reforms will allow giving a recommendation to MoH authorities on how to implement the mandatory SHI system and to make it work effectively.Item Restricted Divorced mothers in Kazakhstan: A preliminary assessment of their financial and social issues(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2016) Okanova, AinaraThis research assesses the economic and social issues faced by middle-income divorced mothers heading single-parent families with minor children in Kazakhstan. The economic and social status of divorced-mother families in Kazakhstan is an unexplored area of research. Current Kazakhstani laws do not recognize the legal status of divorced mothers. Therefore, after divorce, a family’s status is recognized as “incomplete family.” This research provides a preliminary assessment of the economic and social difficulties faced by divorced mothers. It is the author’s goal to identify particular problem areas and policy challenges relevant to divorced mothers in the area of economic and social stability. Interviews with key stakeholders were performed to 1) assess the current difficulties faced by divorced mothers, 2) identify the conditions of legal support offered to divorced mothers that face problems recovering alimony payments from their ex-partners, and 3) understand the extent of social support that divorced mothers receive from the government. This research concludes with an offering of numerous policy recommendations for each of the major issues identified.Item Restricted Implementation of project management approach in public sector of the republic of Kazakhstan(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Saidullayev, Rakhmatullo; Sakipova, KamilaPerforming of strategic tasks for development of a country, such as modernization and conversion of its economy into the innovation vector, improvement of the level and quality of life of the population requires the search for effective management models that are adequate to the modern economy. At the same time, improving public administration focusing on the concentration and rational use of scarce resources (financial, investment, human, managerial, etc.) in public and private sectors play an important role in these processes. As demonstrated by successful world experience, the implementation of a project management approach to the activities of government organizations helps to solve these problems. In this connection, the main features and advantages of this approach, distinguishing it from the current practice of organizing the activity of public authorities are analyzed in this thesis, and the peculiarities of development of studies and practice of project management in the world are presented. The main "generic" features of a project as a basic category of the concept and its classification have been identified. The authors while studying the existing publications and domestic experience have revealed a number of problems hindering its implementation in the public organizations. Finally, measures encouraging the formation of favorable conditions for the implementation of project management approach as a tool, allowing to improve the efficiency of public management in Kazakhstan have been proposed.Item Restricted Effectiveness of Public Councils as a mechanism for citizen engagement in local policy making(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Rakhimov, Kamildin; Zhakelov, ShyngysGovernments are responding to growing pressure to increase accountability, transparency and citizen engagement. A review of citizen engagement literature reveals various ways of interaction between government and citizens, and also highlights the importance of holding government accountable and open for inclusive economic growth and social well-being. In this regard, in December 2015 Kazakhstan approved the timely Public Councils’ Law to enhance the transparency of state decision making and promote citizen engagement. In this paper, the focus is on how public councils have been effective in fulfilling their role as a consultative mechanism for government oversight, and identification of barriers and catalysts for successful implementation of Public Councils. In order to achieve these objectives, OECD evaluation framework with ten suggested criteria on government-citizen engagement were used on Public Council of Almaty city and Atyrau region. The findings state noticeably different implementation of Public Councils in Almaty city and Atyrau region mainly because the Law is quite general, and thus allows room for different interpretation. Qualitative research methods such as interviews with Public Council members, observations by attending Public Council meetings and secondary data analysis were used to collect the data for the research. Furthermore, evidence obtained from the research proposes recommendations on amendments to the Law and specific suggestions on operational improvements of the work of Public Councils.Item Restricted The constitutional reform in Kazakhstan: Nur Otan’s role in legitimizing the procedure of constitutional change(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Didarbekov, Ualikhan; Aitmukash, MariyamAfter being a country with a powerful presidential system for last 26 years, Kazakhstan introduced a few but essential changes into its constitution this year. As a democratic country, Kazakhstan has undergone several significant constitutional reforms since its independence from the Soviet Union. The last one had occurred recently when the President of the country, Nursultan Nazarbayev, offered a transfer of power from President’s Administration onto Parliament and Prime Minister’s Office of Kazakhstan. The aim of these recent changes was to strengthen the Parliament’s role in dealing with legislations and make Prime Minister's Office more independent in developing a social and economic condition of the country. Indeed, president of the country wants to make ministries of the Republic of Kazakhstan to be more independent and strong in solving the inner problems of the country, while he is focusing on more global issues. Thus, the president’s decision to distribute the power was made only to improve and develop the state’s current political and economic conditions. Since good governance is the key to economic development, this decision of N.Nazarbayev was supported by many actors in the country including the "Nur Otan" Democratic People's Party (Nur Otan). In this paper, we discuss this transfer of power from the president to other branches of government such as parliament and ministries. To do so, researchers analyzed this particular constitutional reform from the viewpoint of the Nur Otan, people, and the international community...Item Restricted Implementation of meritocracy in the public sector of Kazakhstan(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Saginova, NargisKazakhstan's ultimate goal for the next 20 years is to become one of the most economically successful top 30 countries in the world. In order to get onto that list, the President of the country, on a regular basis, sets goals that should be achieved by politicians, businessmen, scholars, students and others. One of the latest goals was the introduction of 5 reforms in 2015 that included a huge transformation of the civil service. The reform was aimed at creating a professional and effective civil service free from corruption, nepotism, and tribalism, with bright leaders who will guide the country towards success and prosperity. Thus, political stability will gradually result in economic success. The focus of the civil service reform was the implementation of principles of meritocracy. Meritocracy guarantees that access to the civil service will be equally given to everyone interested in working for the government and who has the proper qualifications. Promotion should be based on their merits ignoring things like subjectivism, nepotism, corruption etc. On the basis of the reforms, the government has introduced new law ‘On civil service’. Thus the main objective of this thesis paper is to investigate whether the principle of meritocracy has been introduced and implemented in the civil service of Kazakhstan. Using the example of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan I have researched whether the results of this process have been successful or not. The primary source of data is interviews conducted with the representatives of the MoFA. The results of the interviews showed interesting findings regarding merit-based and non-merit basedpriniciples of recruitment and promotion in the MoFA. According to the interviews one of the important factors besides merits is professionals networking connections which can play crucial role in the candidate’s recruitment and promotion. The implementation of a meritocracy will contribute to the building strong government institutions free from corruption and will also support Kazakhstan’s economic development.Item Restricted Technical modernization of court rooms for increasing trust of citizens(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Myrzabayev, Vagiz; Nurkey, AisuluThe research studies the effectiveness of the project in the form of video and audio recording systems that were established in all court rooms within the nation plan “100 concrete steps”. The paper reflects the main problems that people faces with during the trials such as unfair judge decision, transcript falsification, incorrect behavior of the court stuff and so on. New technologies were introduced to the Judicial systemin order to solve mentioned problems. However, the practical usage showed all defects of the project systemas well as the legislation amendments. The comparison of the surveys conducted within this research in 2017 and the research conducted in 2012 shows negative indicators on trust of citizens in Judicial system of Kazakhstan.Item Restricted Public councils. The way to improve public engagement in Kazakhstan?(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Dyusseneva, Assiya; Maikenova, GaukharLimited opportunities for citizens to participate in decision making in Kazakhstan is a legacy of the soviet history of Kazakhstan. In an attempt to enhance citizen engagement, Kazakhstan has established a new system of Public Councils from January 1, 2016. Public Councils are proposed as autonomous and independent bodies set up to ensure accountability of all government agencies at all levels, which is based on the extensive participation of NGOs and citizens in the decision-making process. The regulation on introduction of the Public Councils states that their common goal is to increase the efficiency, openness and transparency of public bodies and local self-government. The way to achieve that includes protecting public interests, increasing public confidence and trust in the government actions and involving the public in the process of fighting corruption. This is an extremely ambitious but quite innovative agenda for change. At the same time, if properly implemented, Public Councils would enable a clear mechanism of participation from the bottom up instead of the top down. Due to their quite recent introduction, there is no research on whether Public councils provide an effective mechanism for public participation and accountability of state bodies in Kazakhstan. This master project aims to address this research gap....Item Restricted A Comparative Study of Gender Equality perception among top-ranked officials from public, quasi-government and private sector in Kazakhstan(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Mukhamejanova, Zhansulu; Tungatarova, ZhanerkeFrom the period 1990 Kazakhstan underwent through dramatic and unstoppable changes with tremendous consequences on the economic strategy and cultural values. With globalization processes that triggered the westernization of ideology, the minds and the mentality of the whole population entirely changed emphasizing the position of women. Taking into consideration these consequences of economic and ideological changes, participation and engagement of women in different spheres of the society should have been uplifted to the level of male representatives. Change is taking place, but not as quickly as in numerous parts of the Western world....Item Restricted The issues of government support for business: a case study of the Kazakhstan’s “Business Road Map 2020” Program(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Urazgaliyev, Saken; Nurgaliyeva, SauleThe international experience argues that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a critical role in economic development of the state. Over the years Kazakhstani policy-makers adopted various government support programs intended to assist, advise and facilitate SMEs’/entrepreneurs’ activity in the country. However, despite loads of government efforts to support vulnerable business entities in the country, Kazakhstani SMEs still face a lot of barriers and problems. The main objective of the research project is to explore the challenges of supporting SMEs/entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan within “Business Road Map 2020” State Program (BRM-2020 or Program) through examining to what extent the state support is accessible for Kazakhstani business entities and diagnosing the main problems that arise during the realization of the Program. This allows identifying the gaps and drawbacks in the Program implementation, which need to be addressed for improvement of the effectiveness in delivering the state support.Item Restricted Constitutional Reforms in Kazakhstan: were they participative and responsive?(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Imanaliyev, Zhandos; Zhumabekov, NarimanTwenty-five years after the Republic of Kazakhstan became independent ‘almost by accident’, the continuous improvement of the country's governance system is on the top of its political agenda. Over the last years, decision-makers in Astana have been working hard to improve Kazakhstan’s governing structures on all levels, realizing that the future development of the country depends on the quality of political decision-making, effective policy implementation, and accountable communication between the state’s institutions and citizens. Especially the latter point has been highlighted as crucial for improving the young Republic’s democracy, and for making it last. In this thesis, we study President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s recent decision to transfer central aspects of presidential power onto other branches of the government, thereby strengthening the role of the Parliament as the supreme representative body exercising legislative power. To do so, we analyze the most recent wave of constitutional reform from the perspective of the government, citizens, and the international community; and compare developments in Kazakhstan with similar reforms taking place in other countries. To contextualize our claims, we also explore the constitution of Kazakhstan, paying special attention to how, when and by whom it was written, and what kind of amendments were made to it over time. The main Research Question of this thesis is why and by whom recent constitutional reform were initiated, and whether they were participative or responsive in nature. In answering this question, we attempted to measure the effectiveness of implementing recent reforms through conducting surveys among interested groups, opinion polls, and analysis of other data sources. On the basis of these data, we consider whether – and if yes, how - recent reforms will give impetus to the development of democratic structures in Kazakhstan, and contribute to the well-being of its people....Item Restricted Flood Management in Kazakhstan: What lessons can the Karaganda region learn from Alberta, Canada?(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Kassymova, Anar; Askerov, AzamatThis project explores the public policy issues associated with flooding in the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan through compared research focused on the province of Alberta, Canada. These regions are similar in size, climate, and geographic conditions. While they both suffer from similar types of floods on a regular basis, their flood management policies concerning mitigation, communication, and resilience often differ greatly. Therefore, a unique opportunity is presented to study many lessons that Karaganda policymakers could learn from Albertan experience.Item Restricted GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Anessova, Ainur; Konkasheva, BiganymThis paper analyzes the current government policies in Kazakhstan related to disability care with specific focus on ASD programs and support. More specifically, the study questions how ASD is classified as a disorder in Kazakhstan, and which criteria professionals and the public use to officially diagnose the disorder and assign disability status to the children involved.Item Restricted Sustainable tourism? Impediments of building a viable tourism industry in Kazakhstan: case study of Ile-Alatau National Park(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Abdulla, Abdiashim; Shamsharkhan, RaushanThis study focuses on deeper understanding of tourism industry in Kazakhstan, particularly obstacles and possibilities for future development of Kazakhstan’s tourism industry. The policy analysis further argues that Kazakhstan needs to develop sustainable tourism due to stagnant and ineffective nature of current tourism development path in Kazakhstan. In order to avoid harmful effects of tourism development to environment, socio-cultural values of the host country for the economic benefit, we derive issues and barriers that has to be addressed through policy initiatives. Ile-Alatau National Park were chosen as an example of popular tourist destination in Kazakhstan which underwent significant environmental and economic decline during the 2000sItem Restricted Improvement of Renewable Energy Support Policies in Kazakhstan(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Irgibayev, Arsen; Karabayeva, AnaraKazakhstani government has adopted the Concept on Transition to Green Economy in 2013 to join 30 developed countries in the world. The Concept aims to increase the share of renewable energy resources in energy profile to 3% by 2020, to 30% by 2030 and 50% by 2050. Implementing renewable energy sources has been a slow process despite its great potential. The current share of renewable energy is below 1%, as Kazakhstan faces impediments in its pursuit of reaching the targets. This research aims to identify possible barriers in achieving the stated targets and provide solid recommendations to overcome them.Item Restricted Urban Public Space Evaluation Policy in Astana: The Nurzhol Boulevard Case(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Dyusseneva, Aliya; Otantayev, Nurzhan; Sarsenov, DidarUrban public space plays an important role in sustainable growth of a city since it creates a bridge between the city and its citizens. This exposes a focus on the importance of urban public space evaluation, which reveals the effectiveness of its usage. The capital city of Kazakhstan, Astana, is facing rapid development phase, where building successful urban public spaces is significant. Therefore, this research paper aims to identify whether there is an urban public space evaluation policy in Astana and any policy learning from the Nurzhol Boulevard case.Item Restricted Policy options to integrate labor migrants from Central Asian countries in Kazakhstan. Proposal to Establish Immigration Program among Central Asian states.(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Aiyp, Madiyar; Assamidanov, AnuarThis paper produces a set of recommendations on the Kazakhstan’s migration policy that aims the integration of labor immigrants from Central Asia. Therefore it is intended to assist the government of Kazakhstan in dealing with the current issues of immigration. Feasibility of recommendations made is accessed through several policy options. The underlying inference driving this thesis is that current migration policies fail to facilitate proper conditions and create favorable environments for labor migrants to adapt and adhere to the existing legislation framework. Therefore, policy options assessment and results from analysis of primary data in combination with conclusions withdrawn from reviewed literature as a result provide a set of policy recommendations aimed to the government of Kazakhstan, employers, NGOs, intergovernmental organizations and labor migrants.Item Restricted ISLAMIC WORK ETHICS: DO EMPLOYEES OF ‘BANK RBK’ JSC POSSESS VALUES OF ISLAMIC WORK ETHICS(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, 2017) Baigonak, AidosOn May 2015, Kazakhstan made effective the “2015 Islamic Finance Amendments”. According to a Baker McKenzie 2015 Legal Report, this contains a “legal basis for provision of certain new Shari'a compliant services, in particular, Islamic insurance (takaful), Islamic leasing (ijara) and Islamic banking operation, and the commodity murabaha (tawarruq)”. Also, with the launch of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) this 2018, a center poised to be a regional Islamic Finance hub, the government of Kazakhstan is indeed working towards increasing the presence of Islamic Banking in the country. The present research aims to investigate whether the employees of “Bank RBK” JSC possess the values prescribed by Islamic work ethics. By focusing on the significance of work ethics, this research also intended to examine the effect of Islamic work ethics on work connected results that contain job performance and organizational commitment on the example of the largest bank in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB).