The Research Environment in a Developing Economy: Reforms, Patterns, and Challenges in Kazakhstan

Abstract

Kazakhstan has implemented numerous policy reforms to improve its research environment since 1991, experiencing both positive changes and critical challenges. In this study, we conduct a comprehensive investigation of the country’s research environment. Our materials include statistical data, science policy reports, bibliometric data from Scopus, and interview responses. Using descriptive statistics and regression analysis, we analyze the country’s publication capacity, key characteristics, and science funding by the government. We critically review significant policy reforms and conduct interviews with subject matter experts. Our findings suggest there has been an increasing number of publications and growth in citations since joining the Bologna process in 2010, and that there is a high positive correlation between the volume of science funding and publication output, development levels across fields of science, and focus from science on commercialization of science. The challenges relate to publishing in international journals, government financing and commercialization, researcher capacity, scientific areas, and international collaboration. Our contributions to scholarly communication and science policy are two-fold. First, we present the relationship between several factors/policies and the research environment. Second, we reveal the main challenges Kazakhstan and its academic community have experienced which can be considered by stakeholders, including the government, academic institutions, researchers, and other developing countries.

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“…The region's Department of Agriculture emphasised the tightening of requirements for the quality of raw materials from 2025, stressing the importance of animal feed supply and condition. To address the shortage problem, it is worth increasing dairy production in the country by investing in dairy farming projects, which can also be influenced by the government through both direct injections of funds and by offering incentives for such enterprises by reducing their taxes or credit rates (Amirbekova et al, 2022).…”

Innovative methods of organising the work of the AIC in market conditions (world experience and Kazakhstan)

“…On average, advanced countries allocate around 3% of their total GDP to knowledge-intensive products and science expenditures. It is noteworthy that in Kazakhstan, per capita expenditures amount to 10.27 US dollars, which is 87 times lower than in the USA (Amirbekova et al, 2022).…”

The Scientometric Overview of the Economics Disciplines Publications in Kazakhstan in 1997-2022

“…Since gaining independence, the importance of science was highlighted at the government level. Bologna process reforms and the introduction of Ph.D. degrees, requirements for scientific degrees and awards, grant funding requirements all of this contributes to the growth in publication activity (Amirbekova et al, 2022). Recent changes happening on the country level bring focus on research such as creation of the separate ministry for Science and Higher Education, new role of the Academy of Science, and government program such as "The concept of development of higher education and science in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2023-2029" and introduction of 500 scholars fellowship program for scientists.…”