event

The Politics of Reform in Kazakhstan

Mon. December 7th, 2020
Live Online

In 2019, Kazakhstan’s new President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pledged large-scale political and economic reforms to open up political space, enhance dialogue between state and society, and initiate a series of substantial social and fiscal reforms. Now, eighteen months into the Tokayev presidency, progress is slower than expected. As the COVID-19 pandemic has strained an already exhausted system, the government’s capacity to carry out necessary political, social, and economic reforms is being called into question. What push and pull factors can we discern? With parliamentary and local elections on the horizon, will the country seize the opportunity for more systemic reform? Join us for a discussion on the complexity of political and socio-economic processes unfolding in today’s Kazakhstan.  

Cosponsored by Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. For questions, please contact Carnegie Russia and Eurasia Program at russiaeurasiaprogram@ceip.org. 

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Vyacheslav Abramov

Vyacheslav Abramov is a Kazakhstani journalist, editor, and the founder of Vlast.kz, an independent, analytical online magazine covering politics, economy, and social issues.

Almas Chukin

Almas Chukin is managing partner of Visor Kazakhstan, one of the largest private equity investment companies in Central Asia.

Meruert Makhmutova

Meruert Makhmutova is the director and founder of the Public Policy Research Center (PPRC) and co-founder of the Association of Economists of Kazakhstan.

Nargis Kassenova

Senior fellow, Harvard Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies

Nargis Kassenova is a senior fellow and director of the Program on Central Asia at Harvard University's Davis Center.

Paul Stronski

Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program

Paul Stronski was a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia Program, where his research focuses on the relationship between Russia and neighboring countries in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.