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This paper investigates the advantages of enhancing construction and demolition waste (CDW) recycling facilities to conform to circular economy (CE) models in Kazakhstan's construction sector. The industry is experiencing significant growth due to urbanization, but it faces difficulties managing CDW, frequently resulting in landfill disposal. In response, this paper provides a cost–benefit analysis of upgrading the CDW recycling centres aligned with CE needs. Reflecting legislative changes in Kazakhstan's Environmental Code, which prohibited CDW in landfills starting December 2020, the initiative to establish modern CDW recycling centres is gaining momentum in major cities. The primary objective is to maximize material recovery and eliminate contaminants that curtail the utilization of recycled sand and aggregate products. The analysis yields compelling results, indicating that the project has the potential to recycle up to 84 million tons of CDW over eight years, with an annual 25% capacity increase and a maximum possible 95% recycling efficiency. Despite an estimated cost of USD 48 million, the project demonstrates a payback period of 9.9 years, signalling eventual cost recovery. These findings underscore the project's capacity to mitigate CDW issues while generating economic benefits and contributing to a sustainable environment. In conclusion, implementing modern CDW recycling centres in Kazakhstan represents a potent solution for the construction industry as it transitions toward a CE model. This transition addresses both pressing environmental challenges and promising economic prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to describe the National Centre for Neurosurgery, the only specialized hospital in the treatment of neurological diseases in Kazakhstan and the leading neurosurgical hospital in Central Asia. Historical data were collected from the archive materials of the National Centre for Neurosurgery. The paper outlines the achievements of the Centre in providing neurosurgical care to the population over the past 15 years, commencing with its establishment in 2008. During this period, there has been a 2.3-fold increase in the number of neurosurgeons at the Centre, accompanied by a significant seven-fold rise in the number of surgeries conducted. Additionally, the Centre has hosted international conferences and educational programs in collaboration with the Asian Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies. Throughout the last 15 years, more than 70 treatment techniques were introduced, and subsequent technology transfer initiatives extended these methods to regions within the country. The National Centre for Neurosurgery has achieved remarkable progress in delivering patient-centered neurosurgical care, rehabilitation programs, and innovative treatments, supported by state funding, benefitting patients across Central Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we use preliminary archaeological data spanning the Iron Age through Medieval periods (ca. 800 BCE to 1200 CE) in the Juuku Valley in Kyrgyzstan on the south side of Lake Issyk-Kul to model land use across vertical mountain zones. We have (1) established a radiometric chronology; (2) conducted test excavations of an Iron Age settlement at 2100 m asl and a Turkic period burial at 1934 m asl; (3) undertaken preliminary archaeobotanical research; and (4) performed pedestrian surveys. Archaeobotanical remains of wheat (Triticum aestivum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), broomcorn millet (Panicum milaceum), foxtail millet (Setaria italica), and legumes were recovered in very small quantities from both sites. We compare these preliminary archaeobotanical results with previously published data from Talgar Iron Age settlements on the north side of the Tian Shan Mountain range in Kazakhstan. A small assemblage of faunal remains found at the Turkic period kurgan and from a profile at the upland Iron Age settlement demonstrates the practice of herding sheep/goats, cattle, and horses in the Juuku Valley. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that pastoral transhumance and agropastoralism were interchangeable economic strategies used by peoples in the Iron Age through Medieval periods in mountain-river valleys between 600 m to 2100 m asl. These economic strategies combined the pasturing of sheep, goats, cattle, and horses with the cultivation of cereals in a system that was adapted to different vegetational zones along a vertical gradient. This paper is based on preliminary research using survey data and test excavations and initiates a long-term research study of four millennia of settlements that appear to have ranged from pastoral transhumance and combined mountain agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compiled a checklist of endemic vascular plants occurring in Kazakhstan, employing an exhaustive examination of literature sources, herbarium collections, databases and field observations. Our study reveals that 451 taxa can be considered endemic to Kazakhstan, constituting 7.97% of the total vascular plant diversity in the country. These endemic taxa, originating from 139 genera and 34 families, predominantly thrive in the southern regions of Kazakhstan, specifically in the mountain ridges of the Kazakh part of the Tian Shan, including Karatau (123 taxa), Dzungarian Alatau (80 taxa) and Trans-Ili and Kungey Alatau (50 taxa). Notably, 107 endemic species are granted legal protection. Detailed information regarding life form, life cycle, conservation status and geographical distribution across floristic regions was meticulously compiled for each endemic taxon. Of the six groups of life forms, herbs include the highest part of endemic taxa (367 taxa), followed by dwarf semishrubs (25 taxa), shrubs (23 taxa), subshrubs (20 taxa), undershrubs (13 taxa) and trees (3 taxa). The observed life cycles are perennials (408 taxa), annuals (33 taxa) and biennials (10 taxa). This paper serves as a fundamental groundwork for prospective investigations aimed at assessing population sizes and hotspots of plant endemism throughout Kazakhstan, crucial for determining conservation status of endemic plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Public Administration & Civil Service / Memlekettìk Basķaru Ža̋ne Memlekettìk Ķyzmet is the property of Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan / Akademiya Gosun and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Public Administration & Civil Service / Memlekettìk Basķaru Ža̋ne Memlekettìk Ķyzmet is the property of Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan / Akademiya Gosun and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The objective of this paper is to explore the political implications of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Studies displayed that although these governments varied in their initial response to the pandemic, all three underwent a uniform experience as to its broader effect of amplified authoritarianism. The public health crisis was utilized as a pretext to consolidate autocratic power, suppress regime criticism, and restrict the political rights and freedoms of citizens. Of particular concern were implications on media and civil society organizational efforts, statuses of detainees, ethnic minority rights, and freedoms of assembly and speech. This paper is an in-depth case analysis that uses policy analysis and process tracing to examine the Central Asian countries' response to Covid-19 and its effects on human rights and political freedoms in the named countries. It concludes that despite the changes in leadership and relative progress towards democratization, authoritarian patterns ensued and changed form during the pandemic period in these Central Asian countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Strategic & Social Research is the property of Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Social Science Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper, we unpack the uchyot ("registration") system using Foucault's regime-based approach. Uchyot is a Soviet tool for controlling populations by requiring them to register personal information and then sharing this information with the relevant state institutions. This paper explores how uchyot is used to control drug users in Uzbekistan and Central Asian migrants in Russia. It argues that social and economic pressures, combined with strict policies, push unwanted citizens and migrants to engage in risky behaviors or into the shadows of informality and illegality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a model of the formation of a multiphase Akzhailau granitoid massif formed within a Caledonian block of the Earth's crust in the Hercynian time. This work is based on the results of major and trace element composition, geochronological, mineralogical and isotope-geochemical studies. Three stages of the formation of the Akzhailau massif are distinguished, which differ significantly from the previously accepted concepts about the multicomplex and polychronous origin of this intrusion: (1) the formation of moderately alkaline A2-type leuсogranites (308–301 Ma); (2) intrusion of monzodiorites into the base of leucogranites (~295 Ma), increasing degree of partial melting of protoliths with the formation of syenites and moderately alkaline granites of I-type (294–292 Ma); (3) intrusion of dikes and small bodies of alkaline ferroeckermannite A1-type leucogranites in the west and north of massif (~289 Ma). The Akzhailau massif was formed within about 15 Myr in the middle–upper crust through the interaction of plume-related subalkaline basitic magmas with metamorphosed crustal protolith of the orogenic structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health resources are an important factor to reduce infant and child mortality. However, taking into account budget constraints, it is very difficult to increase public health resources for all regions within a country at the same time. For this reason, in this paper, we assess the effects of the regional health government expenditure assignment as well as the regional health resources available such as beds or paediatricians. We estimate a dynamic model using a system-GMM (Generalised Method of Moments) to explain infant and child-mortality in Kazakhstan during the period 2000–2018. In this period, Kazakhstan experiences a sharp decrease in infant and child mortality reaching the target values from sustainable development goals (SDG). We evaluate several variables to capture the effects of public health resources assignment, such as expenditure per capita, expenditure depending on previous year mortality rates as well as health facilities resources for children by region. Results show that an increase in health expenditure per capita in those regions with high mortality levels is particularly relevant to reduce infant mortality while health facilities are actually more important to reduce an under-5 mortality rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the rigorous reading of Social Identity Theory (SIT), this paper reconstructs the ideational sources of Kazakhstan's status seeking by identifying the Kazakhstani perception of the (un)fairness of the international system, and the nature of the existing hierarchies in world society. By using the fine-tuned ideal types of status enhancement strategies as the basis of the coding scheme, a qualitative content analysis of Kazakhstan's first president's speeches and texts reveals that Nursultan Nazarbayev adopted a social cooperation strategy. He perceived the international system as permeable, although rather unfair, but nevertheless open for improvement through multilateral cooperation. Nazarbayev accepted the negative results of comparison and responded with an adequate agency. He cultivated a special niche of foreign policy as a champion of nuclear non-proliferation, and a place for open and constructive dialogue. Therefore, Kazakhstan projected itself as a doctrineless good power, without an alignment to a particular great power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the everyday lives of queer people in Kazakhstan, exploring how they express agentic power and negotiate their queer identity. This research is based on a Foucauldian-informed narrative analysis of in-depth interviews with 11 people who identify as queer and live in Kazakhstan. Findings show that the choice and ability to regulate one's visibility are crucial expressions of queer agency and resistance. This paper expands on previously published research on gender and sexuality in Central Asia by focusing beyond the issues of violation of human rights and the difficult experiences of queer people, by considering instances of acceptance, support and positive experiences alongside experiences of homophobia, transphobia and discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the no significant harm principle as applied to shared waters in Central Asia (CA): the Aral Sea basin shared by Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan; the Irtysh basin shared by China, Kazakhstan and Russia; and the Chu-Talas basin shared by Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. These transboundary basins are under increased pressure from growing population and economies, unsustainable development and the impact of climate change, making it essential to cooperate and enhance legal regulation. The paper seeks to contribute to a better understating of the nature of legal principles applied to transboundary waters in CA by analyzing whether and how transboundary harm is addressed in relevant treaties in the selected river basins. The paper finds that in most regional treaties the no-harm principle is phrased as a due diligence obligation, without defining a transboundary harm and specifying its threshold and potential activities that might cause it. In addition to improving the quality of regional agreements and enhancing procedural cooperation, the participation of countries in MEAs can offer a supportive legal framework to specify no-harm related obligations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing globalization is driving an increase in diversity and interaction. A more mobile and international workforce frequently requires that individuals try to understand the norms of their “new” society. This paper provides a preliminary exploration of the types of issues and concerns raised by expatriates working in a new foreign environment. In particular, the paper uses a hybrid survey/interview methodology to identify specific issues raised by expatriates working in Kazakhstan, Central Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been 30 years since Central Asian '‐stan' countries, namely, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, declared their independence in 1991. The Republics have chosen various transition paths from centrally planned to the market‐based economic system. The research found that Central Asian leaders' protectionist policy, on top of the landlocked geographical environment, made trade costly, rendering these countries further isolated. Consequently, economic development slows down, unemployment increases and poverty rate extremes. Eventually, the isolated region (relatively, excluding Kazakhstan) is imprisoned in a low‐income trap and framed into a vicious circle. As a solution for tackling high‐trade costs in the region, this paper utilises the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) Computational General Equilibrium (CGE) modelling to simulate the impacts of implementing policy‐targeted scenarios. The study presents that tariff reduction/elimination and trade facilitation policies could flourish the region by bringing significant economic welfare and robust GDP growth. The trade facilitation scenarios impact the region's economy much more positively than do tariff liberalisation scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and suicidality are intersecting social problems. However, limited studies have examined IPV and suicidality among socially marginalized women, such as women living with HIV (WLHIV), or in low- and middle-income countries, where social services vary widely. This paper seeks to fill this gap by exploring the association between IPV and suicidal ideation among a sample of WLHIV. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 249 WLHIV across five regions of Kazakhstan, Central Asia. Both IPV (50.2%) and suicidal ideation (40.5%) were common. Adjusted multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated critical associations between all types of IPV and suicidal ideation: verbal (aOR = 2.5, p <.05); psychological (aOR = 3.3, p <.01); physical (aOR = 2.3, p <.05); sexual (aOR = 3.6, p <.01); injurious (aOR = 4.6, p <.01); and any IPV (aOR = 2.3, p <.05). Consistently significant covariates included marital status, social support, injection drug use, and HIV-related stigma (p <.05). Findings suggest a need to examine the crossover pathways and rates of IPV, HIV, and suicidality. Implications include the need for increased capacity building among providers to address these co-occurring problems through comprehensive assessments, safety planning, and linkage to care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes and assesses the main issues and development factors of innovation processes in Kazakhstan. It is known that in modern conditions of dynamically developing competitive processes and scientific and technological progress, innovations serve as the basis of the national economy and a key factor in ensuring the competitiveness of enterprises. Moreover, today, the economy of the country can successfully compete in the market on the basis of the continuous improvement of goods and services produced as well as the development of new directions. It is also obvious that the development of new products, implementation of innovations and new measures are key performance indicators at both the macro and microeconomic levels. In this sense, an innovative way of socio-economic development of the country is becoming an urgent problem for Kazakhstan. An analysis of the situation shows that in the real sector of the economy, the possibilities of increasing production at the expense of extensive factors are largely exhausted. It is necessary to ensure the modernization of the economy through the introduction of modern technologies and the maximum use of the country's intellectual potential. The realization of the economic strategy determines the implementation of the main directions of social policy in line with the innovative development of Kazakh society as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, in Kazakhstan, as in the other Central Asian republics, significant changes in both the water and agricultural sectors have emerged; water management shifted from a purely technical issue to a sociopolitical and economic one leading to several institutional and organizational changes. To address this transitional context and its issues, since the 1990s international donors have supported the establishment of Irrigation Management Transfer (IMT) and the Water Users Associations (WUAs), both initiatives sponsored and related to the IWRM framework. This paper discusses these processes in the South-Kazakhstan Province, 10 years since the enactment of the law formalizing WUAs; three districts were selected for the analysis. The paper concludes that the IMT has been implemented in different and ambiguous methods and times, reflecting specific district dynamics and issues; furthermore, government support of IMT has decreased, leading to unexpected changes in its role in local water management and a reconsideration of the future scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the bathhouses of Rome and Byzantium have received a great deal of academic attention in the West, the baths of the Islamic world, particularly those in the far Islamic East in Central Asia, have been largely overlooked and much scholarly research in this region has only been published in Russian. This paper is an attempt to readdress this regional bias by presenting an overview of medieval bathhouses in Kazakhstan, based largely on the results of a recent upsurge in commercial archaeological excavations in the country. Ten bathhouses are described, and the significant features of Kazakh baths are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attending to the rise of halal economy and particularly halal certification initiatives in the region and globally, this paper asks why and how third-party certifiers would gain credibility and authority, and what does authority have to do with the work of entrepreneurs in the sector. Drawing on fieldwork conducted between 2012 and 2015, and interviews with entrepreneurs and a private halal certification agency in Kyrgyzstan as well as their accreditors in Kazakhstan, I pay close attention to the collective meaning-making deliberations that revolve around questions of what makes goods and services halal and also what makes one a 'good Muslim'. Certifiers and entrepreneurs come to form what I call a valuation circuit. In these circuits, they construct shared understandings of ethnical and behavioral norms for market actors, create and reinforce binaries around halal and haram, and rely on transnational network of religious authority as they attempt to valuate and measure compliance to halal standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the personal papers of Fatima Gabitova, a writer and pedagogue who fell victim to Stalinist repression as a ‘wife of an enemy of the people’ in the Kazakh SSR. Gabitova’s life was in many ways extraordinary, and many of her experiences were hardly typical. Nevertheless, her exposure to Kazakhstan’s cultural and political elites and the rich textual archive she left behind provide a highly nuanced window into the lived experience of Stalinism in Kazakhstan. Her writings, which include journals, poetry, letters and memoiristic essays, reveal a highly articulated sense of self that was informed and influenced by the realities of life under Stalinism, but was not ultimately determined by the parameters of the Soviet system. Throughout her personal writings, Gabitova exhibits a complicated ambivalence towards the reality of Soviet rule that demonstrates the broader contradictions of Stalinism as a system that was at once repressive and participatory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Summary: Central Asian countries have, since gaining independence in 1991, suffered from endemic corruption as a legacy of their Soviet roots. There are multiple ways of tackling corruption ranging from preventative to control measures. One tool in this battery of measures is the use of codes of ethics enforced through ethics commissioners. Kazakhstan is attempting to take a lead role in driving public sector reforms in the Central Asian region but has achieved limited success in addressing the seemingly intractable problem of corruption. This paper offers a formative assessment of the impact of ethics commissioners on the problem. We find limited political commitment for the initiative, institutional weaknesses, and the absence of a problem solving approach by the Kazakhstani government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central Asia has become a key node of the belt and road corridor. It is located in arid and semi-arid climate regions, and it is a region where the contribution of global aerosols of sand and dust is continuous. However, few studies have been conducted on the Central Asian aerosol optical depth. Therefore, this paper relied on the belt and road sustainable development dataset to analyze the spatial-temporal variations in the AOD in Central Asia and provide spatial-temporal characteristics of the AOD for environmental services. We analyzed the spatial and temporal variation in the aerosol optical depth (AOD) in Central Asia by using MODIS/AQUA C6 MYD08_M3 images from 2008 to 2017. The results showed that (1) the annual average AOD in Central Asia in the past decade varied from 0.183 to 0.232, which indicated a slow decline starting in 2014. The percentage of average annual decline was approximately 0.18%, and the regular distinct revealed the distribution characteristics of AOD. In different years, the Central Asian region exhibited the similar monthly change characteristics: from July to December, the AOD decreased, and from December to February, it increased. In different seasons, the Central Asian region exhibited the different seasonal change characteristics: the AOD value was higher in the spring and summer. The mean values in the spring, summer, autumn, and winter were 0.273, 0.240, 0.155, and 0.183, respectively, and the standard deviations were 0.036, 0.038, 0.025, and 0.048, respectively. (3) Based on spatial distribution characteristics, the Tarim Basin, Aral Sea region, and Ebinur Lake area were high value areas, and Kazakhstan was a low value area. The AOD of the surrounding area of the Aral Sea had increased in the last 5 years, while that of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan had decreased. The AOD of the Taklamakan area exhibited an inter-annual change. Sand dust aerosols were the largest contributors to the AOD in the Taklamakan area. The rising trend of the AOD in the Aral Sea area was clear, with an average annual increase of 0.234%, and the contribution of salt dust aerosols to the AOD increased. The average annual AOD in the Ebinur Lake area remained stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines students' views about the purpose of university education and its role in their future employability in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. Data was gathered through focus groups with 172 undergraduate students. Findings suggest that due to socio-economic pressures, students largely see the purpose of university in terms of its economic value, namely enhanced access to employment opportunities and improved financial wellbeing. While future career prospects are key motivation to pursue a university degree, this study shows that the perceived role of university credentials in employability is declining. Due to an oversupply of graduates and limited employment opportunities, employers have raised the bar for qualifications to select job candidates. Coupled with an undergraduate degree perceived as an 'incomplete degree', students are driven to earn more educational credentials; leading to a greater supply of graduates and what appears to be a widespread occurrence of 'diploma disease'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates Kazakhstan's natural resource policies and their impact on the standard of living of the Kazakhstan population within the framework of three determinative factors: globalization and international markets; Soviet legacy and ‘resource nationalism’; and Nursultan Nazarbayev and his authoritarian leadership. It argues that natural resource policies of Kazakhstan failed to improve the living standards of the majority of people in Kazakhstan, especially the poor and those living in oil-producing and rural areas, despite increasing oil prices and revenues. The argument will be supported with an analysis of Kazakhstan's oil wealth distribution in light of global initiatives as well as with evidence derived from official reports and statistical data to find out whether Nazarbayev's widely discussed ‘resource nationalism’ is ‘nationalistic’ enough to favour the whole nation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Though well-positioned geographically to benefit from China's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative, Central Asia nevertheless suffers from a fragile ecological environment. Therefore, it is crucially important for the five Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to achieve sustainable development of their respective social economies and ecological environments through the evaluation of their ecological security. This paper applies the modified emergy ecological footprint (EEF) model to optimize the traditional ecological footprint model by analyzing and evaluating the ecological security of Central Asia during the time frame of 1992–2014. The paper will also use the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model to forecast changes which might occur during 2020–2025. The results indicate that the EEF mainly decreased from 1992 to 1998 but then gradually increased from 1999 onwards, with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan showing the largest change rates of 3.93% and 2.77%, respectively, from 1999 to 2014. The highest EEF occurred in Turkmenistan (20.27 hm2/cap), followed by Kazakhstan (19.19 hm2/cap), with Tajikistan registering the lowest (2.96 hm2/cap). In Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, fossil energy consumption footprints contributed the most to total EEFs, at 38.34%, 57.06% and 46.52%, respectively, while grassland (51.52%) and building land (50.49%) contributed the most to Kyrgyzstan's and Tajikistan's total EEFs, respectively. The emergy ecological carrying capacity (EEC) largely decreased in all five Central Asian countries, with the largest decrease occurring in Turkmenistan at annual average change rates of −1.93%. The highest EEC was in Kazakhstan (30.36 hm2/cap), followed by Turkmenistan (15.85 hm2/cap), while the lowest occurred in Uzbekistan (2.86 hm2/cap). Additionally, during the period under study, the ecological surpluses and deficits in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were 11.18, 2.21, 2.04, −4.42 and −7.57 hm2/cap, respectively, with the largest ecological deficit occurring in Uzbekistan. There was also a persistent rise in ecological pressure in all five countries, especially in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Furthermore, the ARIMA model forecasts that Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will change from ecological surpluses to ecological deficits from 2020 onwards, and that the ecological pressure grades for these countries will rise to level 3 (relatively unsafe). Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are forecast to be at level 1 (at risk). The significance of this research is optimizing the ecological footprint model and applying it in Central Asia for the first time. The work also quantitatively investigates Central Asia's ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity on both a national and regional basis and evaluates the ecological security of each country. Overall, this research not only provides guidance for decision-makers to develop sustainable strategies in Central Asia, but also serves as a scientific reference for other arid regions to pursue ecological security and sustainable development. • Applied the improved emergy ecological footprint model to quantitatively research the EEF and EEC of Central Asia. • The EEF mainly decreased from 1992 to 1998, but greatly increased after 1999; the EEC decreased during 1992-2014. • Fossil energy consumption footprints contributed most to total EEFs in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. • Ecological tension indexes increase, the larger ecological pressures are in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. • Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will change from ecological surpluses to ecological deficits from 2020 onwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Although China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has received increasing attention at the global level, there is, however, little information about how and with what implications it is being enacted on the ground. This is partly because existing scholarship has primarily focused on Chinese interests and motives behind the grand proposal, while perspectives of other countries participating in the BRI remain understudied.Purpose. The study seeks to bridge this gap by contextualizing the land-based component of the BRI, Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB), in Central Asia. Its purpose is two-fold: (1) to discuss how Beijing perceives the role of Central Asia in general and Kazakhstan in particular in advancing its New Silk Road proposal; (2) to explore how the SREB is being implemented and perceived in Kazakhstan, where it was first announced in September 2013. In particular, it offers a detailed account of how Kazakhstan is trying to integrate its infrastructure development program "Nurly Zhol" for 2015-2019 into the SREB, which is missing from the current scholarly literature. Main Argument. The paper argues that, notwithstanding power asymmetries, the BRI participant/recipient countries do have the agency to develop their own agenda and relevant policies for interactions with Beijing. Conclusion. The case study analysis suggests that there is little evidence that China unilaterally imposes its agenda upon Kazakhstan. Moreover, a shared understanding between the two states about the complementarity of mutual interests provides a solid foundation for overall Kazakh-Chinese cooperation. Yet, the strengthening of relations between the two neighbors, especially in the economic domain, has not led to an improvement of Kazakh popular perceptions of China, whose image is further worsened by the ongoing securitization of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, including Kazakhs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports results of petrological-geochemical, isotope, and geochronological studies of the Preobrazhenka gabbro-granitoid massif located in the Altai collisional system of Hercynides, Eastern Kazakhstan. The massif shows evidence for the interaction of compositionally contrasting magmas during its emplacement. Mineralogical-petrological and geochemical studies indicate that the gabbroid rocks of the massif were formed through differentiation of primary trachybasaltic magma and its interaction with crustal anatectic melts. Origin of the granitoid rocks is related to melting of crustal protoliths under the thermal effect of mafic melts. The mantle-crust interaction occurred in several stages and at different depths. A model proposed here to explain the intrusion formation suggests subsequent emplacement of basite magmas in lithosphere and their cooling, melting of crustal protolith, emplacement at the upper crustal levels and cooling of the granitoid and basite magmas. It was concluded that the formation of gabbro-granitoid intrusive massifs serves as an indicator of active mantle-crust interaction at the late evolutionary stages of accretionary-collisional belts, when strike-slip pull-apart deformations causes the high permeability of lithosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea are strategic partners who are currently deepening their partnership. Close cultural and humanitarian cooperation creates an additional foundation for long-term cooperation and expanding political and economic connections. The relationship between the two countries is developing on the basis of the Declaration of General Principles for Relations and Cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea, and the cultural and humanitarian interactions are regulated by the special Agreement on the Cultural, Scientific and Technological Cooperation. Both documents were signed during the official visit of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev to the Republic of Korea (15-18 May, 1995). The paper discusses the main elements and peculiarities of the cultural and humanitarian exchange between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kazakhstan is in Central Asia and is the ninth-largest country in the world. Some socially vulnerable segments of the Kazakh population residing in subsidised social housing have experienced a range of problems due to the low quality of housing construction and its planning. Poor indoor environmental conditions in social housing contribute to occupants' comfort, health, and general well-being. This study assessed social housing residents' health and quality of life, focusing on their perceived indoor air quality and thermal comfort satisfaction. A cross-sectional survey in Kazakhstan was conducted to test the effects of environmental factors on social housing residents' health and satisfaction. Four hundred thirty-one responses were analysed, and the SF12v2 questionnaire was used to measure the health-related quality of life. Multiple regression analysis showed that air quality negatively predicted the respondents' physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) health. In addition, age, smoking, and employment status had a significantly negative effect on PCS, while education level had a predictive positive effect. Thermal conditions negatively predicted only MCS, as well as alcohol consumption. Next, the air-conditioning control factor had a negative effect. In contrast, low air circulation, low humidity, high solar gain, temperature imbalance, duration of the residence and alcohol consumption had a significantly positive effect on overall satisfaction with the temperature. The odour sources from tobacco, furniture and external sources were predictors of respondents' overall air quality satisfaction, along with the duration of the residence, alcohol consumption and smoking status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the transition from planned to market-oriented economies, Central Asian countries experienced major socio-economic shocks that increased food insecurity, malnutrition and poverty. In the last 15 years, these countries underwent economic reforms in order to transform their economies, and in response to growing food insecurity and poverty levels, they adopted food self-sufficiency policies. For designing and implementing policy reforms, a good understanding of the magnitude of food insecurity and poverty and their determinants are required. Using the Kazakhstan Living Standard and Measurement Survey, this paper identifies a food poverty line and a total poverty line for Kazakhstan. Then poverty measures from both lines are compared and determinates of poverty are analysed. The results show that the total poverty line captures more of the poor population. Although there are some variations amongst the determinants of poverty under the two poverty lines, the strength of the common determinants is generally weaker when non-food expenditures are included in deriving the poverty line. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today it can surely be said that the Kazakh government has come a long way in developing and supporting the Kazakh national identity, culture and language. These were suppressed and damaged during more than two centuries of Russian domination over the Kazakhs. Since independence, the 'Russian problem' in Kazakhstan has certainly defined Kazakh foreign and domestic policies. The cautious and astute policy of the Kazakh government is worthy of investigation, a task this paper takes up. After providing the historical background, the paper examines certain social, legal and demographic aspects of independent state- and nation-building policies in Kazakhstan. In presenting and analysing the Kazakh national policy, this paper also examines the attitudes and criticisms of various Russian groups inside and outside Kazakhstan, both official and unofficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very little is known about the status of autism research in Central Asia. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the scope and focus of the peer-reviewed research studies conducted with autistic people and their families in five Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The electronic databases of EBSCO Host and Web of Science were used for systematic search of literature. Eleven articles that met eligibility criteria were included in the review and analyzed for topics and research areas outlined in the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Strategic Plan. Ten of these studies were conducted in Kazakhstan and one in Uzbekistan using qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research designs. Five of the seven research areas—Diagnosis, Biology, Risk Factors, Services, and Treatment and Interventions—were represented in these studies, while there were no studies identified in the areas of Lifespan Issues or Infrastructure and Surveillance, highlighting a gap in research. None of the studies reported co-authorship of scientists from Central Asian countries. The review identified knowledge gaps and research needs to guide future research in autism in Central Asia to address the needs of autistic individuals and their families living in this region. Very little is known about the status of autism research in Central Asia. Through the library databases, we identified and reviewed 11 scientific studies conducted with autistic people and their families in five Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Of the 11 studies, 10 were conducted in Kazakhstan and 1 in Uzbekistan. Within these limited number of research studies, different topics such as diagnosis, risk factors of autism, biology, and various service and intervention areas were addressed. We identified several knowledge gaps and research priorities to address the needs of autistic people, their families, and professionals in Central Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to analyse EU cooperation programmes for Central Asia, placing emphasis on the importance of cross-regional cooperation in creating a favourable environment for business development and foreign investment, aligning those cooperation programmes with the UN Sustainable development agenda and the implementation of the universal Sustainable Development goals. The author highlights regional and local social and institutional characteristics focusing on EU-Central Asia cooperation. The article assesses the importance of cross-regional cooperation in creating a favourable environment for both business development and foreign investment, and provides analysis on EUKazakhstan cooperation. The author applies the monographic method, as well as the graphical method, secondary data analysis, and the qualitative method in the form of an expert interview. The author concludes that the relationship between the European Union and Central Asia is of global significance and their ties are likely to increase in strength in the future bearing in mind, notably, Russia's and China's interest in retaining Central Asian countries within their own sphere of political and economic influence. The author puts forward proposals that additional EU multidimension external programmes are paramount for the EU's and Central Asia's productive relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purposes of this research are threefold. First, it revisits the "normative powers in Central Asia" debate, which largely ignores an important stalwart supporter of the rule-based international order—Japan. The traditional exclusion of Japan often appears to be related to the belief that Japan plays second (if not third) fiddle at best and has limited power to influence developments in the region. While this thinking for the most part continues to organize much that is written about Japan–Central Asia relations, this article asserts that Japanese normative power should be taken more seriously than many studies understand. Second, using a combination of document analysis (in Japanese, Kazakh, Russian and English) and key stakeholder interviews, it examines how Japan socializes Kazakhstan into a set of norms of appropriate behavior in the field of foreign aid. Finally, highlighting that Kazakhstan embraces a hybrid identity as an official development assistance provider, this study asserts that Japan's ODA has become a key reference model for Kazakhstan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tugai wetlands, including the forests of Populus euphratica Oliv. and P. pruinosa Schrenk, are major biodiversity hotspots within semi-arid and arid ecozones. However, for over a century, Central Asian river systems have been severely affected by dam regulation, water withdrawals for large-scale irrigated agriculture, and deforestation. To support sustainable use and protection of this threatened forest type, we provide information on the distribution and degradation status of Tugai wetlands in the Syr Darya floodplain using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time series from Landsat 7 and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). An accuracy assessment confirmed the validity of the MODIS-based wetland map, with an overall accuracy of 78.6%. This was considerably better than the Landsat product, mainly due to the greater temporal frequency of the MODIS time series. We further calculated trends and breakpoints between 2001 and 2016 using the BFAST algorithm. We found negative trends for nearly a third of the wetlands. Breakpoint detection showed major stress events in the years 2001, 2009, and 2016. Our study revealed the temporal and spatial distribution and vitality of an endangered forest ecosystem that has rarely been studied thus far. Climate change may accelerate the destabilization of the Tugai forests at the Syr Darya floodplain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines individual, social, and structural factors associated with depression among 728 people who inject drugs (PWID) and their intimate partners in Kazakhstan, with separate multivariate models by gender. Depression scores were higher on average among participants of both genders who recently experienced sexual intimate partner violence, food insecurity, and who had lower levels of self-rated health. Among females, higher depression scores were associated with experiencing childhood sexual abuse, lower levels of social support, and not having children. Findings highlight a need to incorporate gender differences and factors associated with depression in designing mental health services for PWID in Kazakhstan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the rural exodus dominates public and scientific debates, considerably less attention has been given to studying why the overwhelming majority of people worldwide remain immobile. As a consequence of this, the reasons why people stay, especially in economically weaker rural areas, are still not fully understood. This paper aims to contribute to closing this gap by addressing the question of why rural people stay put despite inter-regional welfare. Based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) we model staying intentions of villagers in rural Kazakhstan, where many people leave toward urban areas. Our model focuses on staying behaviour, but explicitly includes the leave option as the alternative to staying, as well as both staying and leaving barriers. We apply a cutting edge partial least square structural equation model. Our study reveals the existence of an interaction between staying and leaving barriers. Thus, any policies reducing rural-urban migration barriers have a multiplier effect as people view staying as comparatively more difficult when leaving becomes easier. We further show that existing positive narratives of urban life weaken staying intentions. However, the strongest factor slowing rural exodus is not related to the rural economy, but to the future prossspects of children, including access to high-quality educational institutions in close proximity. • The rural exodus dominates public debates; less attention is given to studying why the majority of people remain immobile. • Based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour we model staying intentions of villagers with a structural equation model. • Our study reveals the existence of an interaction between staying and leaving barriers. • The reduction of migration barriers has a multiplier effect; people view staying more difficult when leaving becomes easier. • Factors slowing rural exodus are future perspectives for children and access to educational institutions in close proximity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common reed (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex Steud.) is a highly productive wetland plant and a potentially valuable source of renewable biomass worldwide. There is more than 10 million ha of reed area globally, distributed mainly across Eurasia followed by America and Africa. The literature analysis in this paper revealed that Kazakhstan alone harbored ca. 1,600,000–3,000,000 ha of reed area, mostly distributed in the deltas and along the rivers of the country. Herein, we explored the total reed biomass stock of 17 million t year−1 which is potentially available for harvesting in the context of wise use of wetlands. The aim of this paper is to reveal the distribution of reed resource potential in wetland areas of 13 provinces of Kazakhstan and the prospects for its sustainable utilization. Reed can be used as feedstock as an energy source for the production of pellets and biofuels, as lignocellulosic biomass for the production of high strength fibers for novel construction and packaging materials, and innovative polymers for lightweight engineering plastics and adhesive coatings. Thereby, it is unlikely that reed competes for land that otherwise is used for food production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the Soviet breakup, rural communities in the Kazakhstan–China borderlands have faced cataclysmic social, economic, and ecological transformations. Collective and state farms have been replaced by precarious smallholder agriculture suffering from a decline in financial inputs and the deterioration of infrastructure. At the same time, dynamic transformations of border permeability (and trans-border reconnections) between Kazakhstan and China have challenged the until relatively recent widespread Soviet rhetoric on Western China (or rather Xinjiang) as an underdeveloped space across the border. This article is based on several months of fieldwork between 2019 and 2021 in Panfilov District, located at major cross-border road and railway intersections and hosting important infrastructural objects, such as a dry port, a major railway transhipment hub, and a trans-border special economic zone. The article explores how the border situation (and the border's changing permeability for people, commodities, and ideas since the early 1990s) as well as the implementation of new trans-border infrastructures eventually shaped local discourses and practices in the socio-economic development of south-east Kazakhstan's agricultural sector. It is scrutinized herein how various forms of trans-border socio-economic interactions (although heavily regulated) and China's (agri-) economic policy in Xinjiang started to affect farmers' ambitions and practices across the border. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the problems of the traditional world views and beliefs of the Kazakh people. The main purpose of the article is to show the features of such cultural phenomena as 'religious syncretism' and 'hybrid worldview'. The author pays attention to the cosmogonic and cosmological beliefs, the perception and feeling of place and time, religious consciousness and national identity, folk customs and traditions, cultural branding. The farming and cattle-breeding practices in the harsh climatic conditions of wide steppe spaces influenced the formation of a special type of culture and unique worldview. In the long history of the nomadic peoples who inhabited the Eurasian steppes, the history of the development of the religious worldview occupies a special place. Being in the crossroad of civilization, Central Asia has been a region of interaction between different world religious traditions, such as Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Christianity (in their earliest forms as Nestorianism), Mani?haiesm, and Islam. However, the Kazakh people did not break ties with nature due to their way of life, so people's beliefs and superstitions were based on the animistic, totemistic beliefs and magic. The author concludes that the cornerstone of the entire system of worldview was the faith in the opportunity to transform the world for the good of people's traditions and it was reflected in the special rites, traditions, and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention has recently become available in Kazakhstan, but women engaged in sex work who use drugs (WESW-UD) could benefit from tailored approaches to support uptake and adherence. To better understand how best to support WESW-UD at each stage of the PrEP continuum (awareness, acceptability, uptake, and adherence), we analyzed data from 30 in-depth interviews and four focus groups with 48 WESW-UD from two cities in Kazakhstan. We conducted thematic analysis to characterize perceptions, barriers, and motivators within each step of the PrEP continuum. Participants reported low awareness, but high interest in PrEP. Motivating factors included optimizing health and increased confidence. Participants expressed many preferences and concerns regarding PrEP modality and delivery. Participants also described how organizational mistrust and social support can prevent or facilitate PrEP uptake or adherence. Kazakhstan's scale-up of PrEP should consider the needs and preferences of WESW-UD to ensure equitable access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has presented extreme challenges to developing countries across the world. The aim of this paper was to provide estimates for current development COVID-19 pandemic in the Post-Soviet states and forecast potential best and worst scenarios for spread of this deadly infection. Methods: The data on COVID-19 cases extracted from official governmental sources until April 18, 2020. A modified SEIR (Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered) modelling was used to plot the pandemic outbreak in 10 Post-Soviet states and forecasting over the period of 10, 30 and 60 days. The optimal measures (best-scenario) and suboptimal measures (worst-scenarios) of potential spread of COVID-19 in these countries were estimated. Results: It was estimated that Armenia and Azerbaijan have reached their peaks, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and Uzbekistan are expected to reach their peaks in the early May-2020), with comparatively low cases of COVID-19 in the best-case scenario. In contrast, Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine would likely see the outbreaks with the largest number of COVID-19 cases amongst the studied Post-Soviet States in the worst-scenario during the next 30 and 60 days. Conclusion: Governmental response was shown to be as an important determining factor responsible for the development of COVID-19 epidemic in Post-Soviet states. The current protection rates should be maintained to reduce active cases during upcoming 30 and 60 days. The estimated possible scenarios based on the proposed model can potentially be used by healthcare professionals from each studied Post-Soviet States as well as others to improve plans to contain the current and future epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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New observations of Oculicosa supermirabilis Zyuzin 1993 from new localities are presented. Notes on the habitat, map of all collecting localities and live photographs of a specimen and its peculiar burrow are given [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agris On-Line Papers in Economics & Informatics is the property of Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Consulting Center of the Faculty of Economics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)