The Role of Think Tanks in the Policy-Making Process in Kazakhstan

Since the 1990s Kazakhstan has experienced an explosion of think tanks: policy institutions that provide expertise and analytical services to various clients. They have addressed complex political, social and economic issues and have provided new ideas, creative political solutions and policy recommendations to various political actors – parties, government institutions, and private companies – and have educated both politicians and the general public on a wide range of subjects. The Kazakhstan community is, however, divided over the role of think tanks in the policy-making process. Some believe that think tanks fulfill an important role in the society, as they generate lively public discussion on the most essential public policy issues and set up agendas for intellectual discourse and exchange. Others view think tanks as institutions that merely provide political technologies to the leading political groupings, clans and parties to stay ahead in the political competitions in the harsh environment of the country. This research focuses on the changing role of think tanks in the policy-making process in Kazakhstan and uses a couple of case studies to illustrate current trends.

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Rafis Abazov, of Columbia University, was a 2010-11 US Embassy Policy Specialist (EPS) fellow.