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This paper analyzes conflict resolution strategies in public procurement in two transition economies, Russia and Kazakhstan, based on a supplier survey. The results show that 25% of suppliers in Kazakhstan and 32% of suppliers in Russia said preferred to resolve all public procurement conflicts through negotiations with the procurer without involving a third party represented by the regulator and/or the judicial system. The findings also revealed that Russian suppliers, potentially affiliated with procurers, are less likely to encounter conflict situations. The attitude to the practice of "predetermined choice," when the procurer selects a supplier before the formal procurement procedure, was used as an indirect indicator of such affiliation. In addition, the empirical analysis shows that, in both countries, suppliers who are not inclined to trust the court and indicate high costs of participation in litigation are more likely to use the strategy of direct negotiations to resolve procurement conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative analysis describes the socialist legacy in the governance of higher education within the former Soviet-led member countries that entered the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) between 2001 and 2010. In joining the EHEA these countries signed on for the Bologna Process (BP), but are not members of the European Union. The analysis is based on EHEA BP Country Reports and a survey of Western academic literature and sources from the former-socialist region. It is argued that ministries of education are little engaged with academic and civic communities, in large part because policymakers underestimate the depth of the cultural and institutional changes that are necessary for educational reforms. Therefore, deep convergence of the new signatory countries to the EHEA via the BP has not occurred. Concurrently, West European measures intended to empower educational communities operate perversely in the post-socialist region, characterised by low civic and state capacities. The over-emphasis on bureaucratic checks and controls negates two important aspirations of Bologna: on the one side, university autonomy, empowerment of faculty, and development of local communities; and on the other side, the free flow of international knowledge. Without an adjustment of policies, the prospects for effective reforms are dimmed.

Copyright of Bulletin of Ablai Khan KazUIRandWL: Series 'International Relations & Regional Studies' is the property of Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations & World Languages 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.)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, society has undergone significant changes with implications for employee values and job satisfaction. As a reflection of social needs, corporate social practice is also changing compared to before the pandemic. This paper examines the perception of corporate social practices by personnel and their impact on staff satisfaction. The empirical study carried out in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan allowed the authors to identify social practices that influence the level of personnel satisfaction with professional activity before and after the pandemic. The research determined general tendencies and differences in the perception of social practices with the most significant personnel satisfaction in the period before and after the pandemic. The authors also developed recommendations that should be taken into account when forming corporate social practices. The study's novelty is the investigation of an empirical relationship between the levels of satisfaction with professional activity and implemented social practices in the period before and after the pandemic. The research found that the tendencies in Russia and Kazakhstan are similar to the global trends. Employees before the pandemic were highly satisfied with their activities and corporate social responsibility practices. After the pandemic, when society is disconnected and individualized, employees are focused on material security, and social practices have no significant influence on staff satisfaction. The paper offers recommendations for companies to implement appropriate social practices for the common interests of employers and staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the effects of trade sanctions between Russia and Western countries on Kazakhstan. The nature of these sanctions is characterized by unilateral sanctions from Russia and multilateral sanctions against Russia. Although Kazakhstan refused to participate in these sanction wars, this might affect its economy significantly as it is highly integrated into the Russian economy. An empirical analysis is performed on the product level and time series techniques are used to estimate the effects of the sanctions. The paper assesses the overall effectiveness of trade sanctions through aggregating product level results into a sanction index. The derived sanction index shows that multilateral sanctions did not divert the trade flows from Western countries. On the other hand, the index indicates the existence of sanction busting activities against Russian unilateral counter-sanctions, confirming the hypothesis that unilateral sanctions are ineffective and allow for third-country effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original objective of this paper is to study the impact of the exchange rate on the trade balance for Kazakhstan and Russia. Baseline empirical results indicate that an exchange rate depreciation actually decreases exports and deteriorates the trade balance for these countries; this is the opposite of the traditional theory of the J-curve and Marshall–Lerner condition. The paper then explores why these major oil exporters do not conform to the theory. It argues that it is the oil price that affects both the exchange rate and the trade balance, thereby masking the true impact of the exchange rate on the trade balance. More formally, the paper augments the traditional theory to take into account the behavior of oil prices in the export and trade balance equations. The augmented theory posits that a decrease in the oil price leads to a real exchange rate depreciation and a decline in exports, thereby creating the positive correlation seen in the baseline results. In accordance with the augmented theory, the regression results suffer from omitted variable bias; when the oil price is taken into account, the results again support the theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the reasoning and implications of the unrest in Kazakhstan unleashed in January of 2022. This crisis was the most severe form of violence that Kazakhstan has endured since gaining independence. It distorted Kazakhstan's image as a stable country. While the crisis was limited to the territory of Kazakhstan and developed mainly from domestic problems, it undeniably acquired an important international element. Kazakhstan's appeal to the CSTO presented a drastic change in Kazakhstan's foreign policy and ensued in the shift in the balance of power in the greater Eurasian region. Although Russia played a relatively subtle role on the ground, Russia's involvement was set to link the political future of Kazakhstan to Russia for an unspecified amount of time. The study concludes that Kazakhstan is faced with the challenges of undertaking significant reforms to lower the possibility of further instabilities while remaining true to its multi-vector foreign policy agenda amid Russian intrusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), a flagship project of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to build a common market for 180 million people for sustainable economic growth. For participating states, EAEU presents economic and regional integration and advances the idea of common desired goals fulfilling common economic objectives. Having initially failed, Russia established a Customs Union with Belarus and Kazakhstan in 2010, which led to the establishment of EAEU in 2015. Ever since its launch, growing differences among member states on policies have plagued the idea of regional integration resulting in trade wars. Keeping in view historic affiliation of the member states, it is understood that these states predominantly have served Russia's strategic interests. However, empirical findings on the EAEU's external context reveal that a significant boost in economic cooperation and trade among member states is unlikely due to their divergent political aspirations and even their power asymmetries. Moreover, some member states view EAEU as one of Russian's tools to secure its global strategic objectives. This paper ascertains how EAEU can bring an economic integration in Eurasia and provide opportunities to participating states in a diversified manner to achieve sustainable economic prosperity in the region. In addition, the paper also examines the strategic and economic interests of all participating states to determine success or failure of EAEU because their long-term commitment and profound cooperation is entirely based on their perception of prioritizing political and strategic preferences over regional economic integration or vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the degree of digitalization of Academic Writing and Information Literacy (hereafter AW & IL) course in the countries of the post-Soviet era. Numerous research demonstrated that digital transformation has taken place toward the teaching of AW & IL in most of the developed countries and beyond, yet little is studied about the digitalization in countries of the former Soviet Union that have passed a long way to align their education with the globe. Keeping up with the four main categories of digitalization, the paper will look at its application as a part of curriculum development, assessment, students' competency, and university maintenance. The paper employs a phenomenological approach confirmed through the qualitative analysis of 18 in-depth interviews conducted with AW & IL instructors from nine countries. The study revealed that recently AW & IL course has moved through partial digitalization, providing that the university stakeholders do not exert any necessary support.

Tax burden, i.e. the ratio of the tax revenues and the aggregate taxable income, is an important macroeconomic variable and economic policy instrument which account for the tax burden and the revenue structure in the economy. The macroeconomic regulation function in the context of taxation comes to its own mainly over the value added tax (VAT). The effectiveness fiscal policy in general as well as tax policy in particular depends mainly on the VAT-level in the economy. In the framework of this paper we focus on the performance three post-Soviet Republics, Russian Federation, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in terms of the VAT-policy and its efficiency. Due to the completely new emergence of the tax system in all three mentioned states, the paper in hand is a kind of assessment of the different economic policy approaches in these three country cases. From this point of view, a comparative analysis of the present situation of the tax system of these countries is an interesting area. We estimate the optimal levels of the tax burden on VAT on the basis of econometric models and the Laffer points of the types I and II were determined for each case study. It should be noted that the Laffer point of the type I is the level of tax burden at which the volume of total output reaches its maximum, and at the Laffer point of the type II, the amount of tax revenue reaches its maximum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper highlights the impact of two cross-border poultry infections with zoonotic potential (avian flu and Newcastle disease) on the functioning of industrial poultry farms in the former Soviet Union counties (Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan), where the poultry industry is fairly well-developed. Despite the permanent vaccination of poultry against Newcastle disease in industrial poultry farming, the disease still affects individual farms in Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and Kazakhstan. In case of outbreaks, the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan use inactivated influenza vaccines. In Ukraine, for almost 20 years, outbreaks of influenza have been confirmed mainly on individual farms, and one outbreak of highly pathogenic influenza was reported on an industrial poultry farm in 2020. In the Russian Federation, highly pathogenic influenza occurs on industrial poultry farms more often. In Russia, seven industrial poultry enterprises were affected by influenza in 2016-2017, and eight in 2018. Infection of poultry with influenza virus on poultry factory farms is an indication of shortcomings in compliance with biosecurity measures. Influenza and Newcastle disease are always likely to occur in the countries in question, as wild birds migrate through their territory, and they are a reservoir of pathogens, therefore outbreaks are often associated with spring and autumn migrations of wild birds. In all of said countries, a large number of poultry is kept by individual households, where basic biosecurity, sanitation and preventive vaccination measures are not applied. This component is often crucial in bringing viral infections such as influenza and Newcastle disease on large poultry farms. As a result, the virus is brought onto poultry farms by synanthropic birds, humans, transport, feed, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses publications in the periodic press about the tribal composition, ethnographic features, traditions and other features of the Kazakh people in the "Turkestan collection." A textual analysis of research papers on the culture of the Kazakh people of the early twentieth century is given. The historical and cultural data on the Kazakhstan and Central Asia peoples in the "Turkestan collection" are critically evaluated by comparing them with studies conducted in Soviet times. Historical information about how the revolution in Russia in February 1917 affected the lifestyle of the Turkestan peoples is attached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soviet higher education had a distinctive institutional landscape. It combined two institutional types in a uniform model that embedded higher education in the national economy. This paper focuses on the post-Soviet system-level changes in the institutional landscape in all 15 countries of the former USSR. It shows that over last three decades the Soviet two-type institutional model evolved into a three-type model, with the specialized university as a new institutional type. Highlighting the instruments of horizontal and vertical differentiation for each country, the paper explains how structural reforms and market forces led to the rise of the university/multiversity form of institution, and the strengthening of vertical stratification at system level. The comparative analysis shows that there have been different patterns of transformation in the 15 countries, shaped by unique combinations of structural reforms and marketization policies, with certain countries having made more distinctive steps away from the Soviet institutional model. There are now 15 formally different systems of higher education which poses further questions for comparative analysis.

This paper presents a deep analysis of the accessory genome of an economically promising strain of Ensifer (Sinorhizobium) meliloti, L6-AK89, obtained as a result of next-generation high-throughput sequencing (MiSeq, MinIon). Strain L6-AK89 is a StrR mutant of the native strain CIAM1775, a symbiont of Medicago lupulina that adapted to a saline and arid habitat in NW Kazakhstan. CIAM1775 is an effective inoculant of M. lupulina cv. Mira (fodder type standard), cultivated on moderately acid soils in the NW agricultural region of Russia. Strain L6-AK89 makes it possible to obtain the expected high (>150%) increases in dry mass of the same plant variety in plant tests. The L6-AK89 genome has an increased proportion of sequences related to the accessory elements relative to reference strain Rm1021, 7.4% versus 4.8%. A set of 53 nod/noe/nol/nif/fdx/fix genes and 32 genes involved in stress tolerance together with 16S rRNA and recA–atpD–glnII–gyrB–dnaJ were evaluated. The high symbiotic efficiency of L6-АК89 with hop clover is most likely due to unique features of its genome, in combination with structural differences in its nod and stress-related genes, as well as unique clusters of quorum-sensing genes and osmoprotector synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its independence, Kazakhstan has adopted a multi-vectorism approach to balance between various great powers, especially between Russia and China. Despite extensive theorisation of such foreign policy, scholarly research has rarely investigated the topic beyond diplomatic power dynamics. Based on a systematic search of China's joint projects in Kazakhstan in the past 30 years, this paper illuminates several unexpected developmental intricacies based on Kazakhstan's multi-vectorism, its geo-strategic location, the availability of oil-driven sovereign wealth funds, and the public pressure for more responsible industrial policies: (1) China's ambition to connect to the West has unintentionally amplified Kazakhstan's multi-vector bargaining power; (2) Kazakhstan's industrial policies, supported by various financial tools backed by its oil-driven sovereign wealth funds, are integral to its multi-sector economic development and diversification of exports to include more high-value intermediate and consumer goods; and (3) shown via a case study on Kazakhstan's agricultural development, initial state-level negotiation and sub-national implementation, coupled with a mix of Sinophobic and Sinophilic sentiments, have led to a nuanced path of economic diversification. Given the authoritarian legacy in both China and Kazakhstan, empirical research to compare industry-specific development variations would be enlightening for developing economies to design optimal paths to leverage China's rising dream and capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition from the Soviet type of economy to a new market system showed the necessity in reforms at the secondary school level. Based on a literature review, this paper aims to reveal how the thinking about teaching economics has changed over the past three decades (1991-2021), and how this has affected teaching economics as a school subject in the Post-Soviet countries. The article illustrates these with the cases of Russia and Kazakhstan. For this paper, a narrative literature review methodology was adopted and scanned studies included only those published in English and Russian.

In this research note, I examine whether research conducted among young internet and social media users in Russia and Kazakhstan is representative of generalisable conclusions, particularly in relation to political participation studies. At present there is no reliable information on this topic in these societies. I commissioned four questions per country using omnibus surveys conducted in the 2020 autumn intake of the voting-age (18+) population using funding from the 'Bolashaq' programme. Based on the findings I procured through the omnibus surveys conducted by national public opinion poll companies (Levada Center and Central Asian Barometer) in Russia and Kazakhstan, my analysis shows that (1) more than 99% of all young people aged 18-29 use the internet and social media; and (2) nearly three out of four young people use social media for information about national and international news and politics. However, despite these high indicators, the frequency of the usage of social media for news and politics varies considerably in both countries. The paper with its up-todate data as of 2021 fills a gap in Russian and Kazakhstani research, providing scholars with data to conduct further research about internet, social media, and politics among new media users. In addition, it provides a comparative analysis of the frequency of internet and social media use by young people for information about (inter)national news and politics in Russia and Kazakhstan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition from the Soviet type of economy to a new market system showed the necessity in reforms at the secondary school level. Based on a literature review, this paper aims to reveal how the thinking about teaching economics has changed over the past three decades (1991-2021), and how this has affected teaching economics as a school subject in the Post-Soviet countries. The article illustrates these with the cases of Russia and Kazakhstan. For this paper, a narrative literature review methodology was adopted and scanned studies included only those published in English and Russian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity and conservation assessments rise and fall with taxonomic accuracy. An example of a still largely unresolved taxonomy is found in the Gastropoda of the Caspian Sea. The present paper clarifies the taxonomy of the genus Abeskunus and its three species of anomalohaline gastropods endemic to the Caspian Sea. Based on material from Pleistocene, Holocene, and (sub-)recent deposits from Russia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan we discuss species discriminations, synonyms, systematic position, as well as uncertainties regarding the type species. Given the apparent loss of all type material, we designate neotypes for all three species. Despite our efforts to collect and analyse new material and available material housed in museum collections, molecular data, and soft-part anatomy are unavailable precluding a firm systematic classification. Overall shell morphology and protoconch microsculpture are indicative of the family Lithoglyphidae. Comparison with Miocene and Pliocene fossils attributed to the genus Zagrabica suggests it to be a likely ancestor of Abeskunus, tracing back the lineage to the late Miocene Lake Pannon. Although the recent literature lists all three species of Abeskunus among the extant Pontocaspian fauna, two of the three species have never been found living and the third one not since the nineteenth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a study which compares repatriation policies of Germany, Russia, and Kazakhstan. The choice of cases is based on a “most similar case design.” The Russian case results in unsuccessful and unsustainable repatriation, the German case exhibits a change from sustainable repatriation to a slow termination of the program, while the case of Kazakhstan is one of sustainable and relatively successful repatriation. The main argument of the paper is that in order for a repatriation program to be sustainable, the program must contain both a practical component and an ideological component. If a repatriation program lacks ideological backing which permeates other aspects of political life in a state, then the repatriation program grinds to a halt. If a repatriation program has ideological backing, but is rendered impractical and does not meet the economic, demographic and labor market needs of a state, then the further development of the program stops. The findings of this study merit further reflection on issues of changing national identities, on transnational migration pathways, and on the “post-Soviet condition” which has set the stage for all of the aforementioned processes and transformations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Currently it is relevant to find effective ways to train scientific personnel and comprehensively study systems of scientific and scientifictechnical activities of universities. The purpose of this study is to compare scientific and scientific-technical activities of agrarian and economic universities in Russia, Kazakhstan and Bulgaria, where personnel is trained for one of the leading industries in these countries. An anonymous online survey based on a specially designed questionnaire was conducted; it involved 162 respondents from the countries above - scientific and pedagogical staff of agrarian and economic universities. The results of the present study, in comparison with the data of scientific literature, allow one to assert that the common global problems in universities are unstable funding and a decline in the prestige of a scientific career. The latter makes it difficult to attract young people to science, leads to aging of scientific personnel, dissatisfaction with work, and the risk of professional burnout. At the same time, fierce competition imposes increased requirements on the quality of universities' scientific products and their promotion in the market of research and scientific-pedagogical services. As a result of the research, general and distinctive features of scientific and scientific-technical activities of agrarian and economic universities of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Bulgaria have been identified. Based on the empirical data obtained and their comparison with the results of an analytical review of scientific literature, a generalized universal model of the system of universities' scientific and scientifictechnical activities has been created, which will optimize the reform process and contribute to the development of research potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Stratum Plus Journal is the property of P.P. Stratum plus 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 Sociology: Theory, Methods, Marketing is the property of Institute of Sociology NAS of Ukraine 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.)

Abstract—The results of ecological monitoring of the status of springs in Western Kazakhstan are presented: three of these springs are located in the Atyrau region and twelve are located in the Western Kazakhstan Region. The following properties of spring water samples were determined in accordance with water quality hygiene standards of the Republic of Kazakhstan (RK) and the Russian Federation (RF): temperature, рН, debit, turbidity, total hardness, permanganate index, solid residue, total spring mineralization, content of dissolved oxygen, cations (ammonium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and pot assium), anions (nitrites, nitrates, carbonates, hydrocarbonates, chlorides, sulphates, and polyphosphates), heavy metals (copper, zinc, lead, cadmium, iron, chrome, manganese, cobalt, and nickel), petrochemicals, and phenols. The microbiological indicators of the waters (total microbial number, total coliform bacteria, and thermotolerant coliform bacteria) and spring bacterial contamination factors were determined. All springs were found to have small debits except the Tilepbulak spring in the Atyrausk region, which was a semi-debit. The water of almost all springs studied was neutral except the Ainabulak spring in the Western Kazakhstan region, the water of which was weakly acidic and did not meet the standard indicators of the RF and RK. The sprigs studied differed by their hydrochemical indicators. The water in most of the springs and did not meet the hygienic standards of the RF and RK. In all the springs of the Atyraus region, the contents of iron, chrome, manganese, nickel, and phenol exceeded the hygienic standards. In the water of Ashituzbulak spring, the content of petrochemicals slightly exceeded accepted standards. High iron concentrations were found in two springs of the Western Kazakhstan region (Taskal-5, Serebryakov). The chrome concentration was high in six springs (Taskal-5, Krasnenkoye, Tsiganovo-2 (Yegendibulak), Bol'shaia Itchka, Ainabulak, Serebryakov). The manganese content was high in two springs (Taskal-1, Serebryakov). The nickel content high was in four springs (Taskal-5, Krasnenkoye, Bol'shaia Itchka, Ainabulak, Serebryakov). The phenol content was high in five springs (Taskal-5, Krasnenkoye, Tsiganovo-2 (Yegendibulak), Bol'shaya Itchka, Ainabulak). In the springs of the Atyraus and Western Kazakhstan regions, no deviations from the hygienic standards were found. The instability of microbiological indicators of the water was due to the fact that most of the springs studied were located near human settlements and actively used for domestic purposes and consumption by farm animals. This paper suggests practical recommendations for the rational use of springs in Western Kazakhstan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The failure of regionalism in Central Asia is a puzzle. Whereas almost all world regions have seen a rise of regional organisations since the end of the Cold War, attempts to establish durable regional cooperation among Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan proofed unsuccessful. Although some of the Central Asian countries participate in wider regional organisations like the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the genuine Central Asian Cooperation Organisation (CACO) was dissolved in 2005. Given the cultural, economic and political similarities between the five Central Asian countries, this lack of a regional organisation is surprising. In contrast to previous work, this paper argues that the failure of regionalism in Central Asia is not so much due to domestic political factors, but more to the extra-regional economic dependence of the regional economies and the impact of external powers within Central Asia. Challenged by the rise of China, Russia uses the EAEU in order to preserve its hegemonic influence over the former Soviet Republics. By joining the Russian dominated EAEU, Central Asia's regional power Kazakhstan enjoys economic benefits which outweigh the potential gains of Central Asian cooperation within CACO by far. Consequently, Kazakhstan follows its extra-regional interests in closer cooperation with Russia at the cost of regional cooperation with its Central Asian neighbours. As a result, the Central Asian countries are unable to build up a unified regional block in relation to extra-regional powers like China or Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose |!|#8211; The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the corporate governance standards of Cyprus, Russia, and Kazakhstan to those of the UK to facilitate investment decisions. The paper aims to discover governance gaps creating a potential for alignment to UK standards.Design/methodology/approach |!|#8211; The paper is a qualitative case study of four countries based on the OECD criteria of 118 corporate governance measures.Findings |!|#8211; The findings indicate that the corporate governance standards in Cyprus match 92 per cent of the UK standards, Russian standards match 75 per cent, and Kazakhstan ones 63 per cent. The greatest contrast to the UK standards were for Cyprus in the area of disclosure and transparency category, Russia|!|#39;s was in the area of responsibilities of the board, and Kazakhstan|!|#39;s was highest in the two areas mentioned above and low overall.Research limitations/implications |!|#8211; The paper identifies areas of governance that could be aligned to UK standards. Further research is needed to compare the governance standards of the countries studied to international standards other than those of the UK|!|#39;s.Practical implications |!|#8211; The paper provides insight on governance for investors in the three countries and aids effective investment decisions.Social implications |!|#8211; The paper identifies areas of governance needing regulatory adjustment in the three countries and could influence government and industry policy.Originality/value |!|#8211; The originality of the paper lies in identifying gaps in governance among the four countries. Thus the paper provides information for investors as to the corporate governance they are likely to experience, and facilitates development in governance regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the economic implications of Belarus' participation in the newly created EURASEC Customs Union. The results of the calculations show that after the introduction of a common external tariff (CET) the level of tariff protection in Belarus has not increased noticeably. The reduction in the volume of imports from non-CIS countries equal to USD 1.1 bn (8% of Belarusian non-CIS import in 2008) will be mainly brought about by cancellation of used cars imports from non-member countries. The analyses revealed that Belarusian budget can benefit from participation in the Customs Union (CU). The amount of possible gain will be about 28.3% of total budget revenues from customs duties and customs charges in 2008 due to the fact that approximately 40% of Russian imports may go through customs clearance in Belarus owning to less bureaucracy at the border with respect to Russia, and the revenues from customs charges, which is not planned to be distributed among member countries, will be transferred to Belarusian budget. However, it is unlikely that CU membership will increase foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow to Belarus, since in the case of South-South regional trade agreements (the type of EURASEC countries CU) FDI usually goes to the bigger country, i.e. to the bigger market. Therefore, most probably that in the regional arrangement in question Russia followed by Kazakhstan will be the main beneficiaries of foreign direct investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grappling with the contemporary topos of a Sino-Russian Entente, Kazakhstan is caught between a delicate long-term peer-competition and potentially a structural rivalry involving the two Eurasian Leviathans, China and Russia. Acknowledging this perspective, Nur-Sultan is inducing hedging dynamics, fishing for a better range of net benefits, while playing a significant fulcrum role central to the regional geopolitical and geo-economic matrix. Although Russia is retaining the prevailing role in the security domain, China is catching up with Russia in various economic indices, notably generated by the Belt and Road Initiative. Utilizing the conceptualization of hierarchy in international relations adapted from the work of David A. Lake, this paper outlines how Nur-Sultan's interests and preferences are acknowledged by the respective dominants, as a basis for social contracting processes to generate a dual hierarchical order in Central Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issues of state and legal regulation of ethnic repatriation in the post-Soviet countries that implement relevant programs are of great practical importance for their migration policy. The paper discusses the general and specific features of the ethnic repatriation policy in three post-Soviet countries: Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan, and Russia, aiming to identify the most successful approaches and practices for their execution. The author analyzes the legislative acts of the three countries related to issues of ethnic repatriation and regulation of return migration between the 1990s and the present time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Omsk haemorrhagic fever virus (OHFV) is the agent leading to Omsk haemorrhagic fever (OHF), a viral disease currently only known in Western Siberia in Russia. The symptoms include fever, headache, nausea, muscle pain, cough and haemorrhages. The transmission cycle of OHFV is complex. Tick bites or contact with infected small mammals are the main source of infection. The Republic of Kazakhstan is adjacent to the endemic areas of OHFV in Russia and febrile diseases with haemorrhages occur throughout the country—often with unclear aetiology. In this study, we examined human cerebrospinal fluid samples of patients with suspected meningitis or meningoencephalitis with unknown origins for the presence of OHFV RNA. Further, reservoir hosts such as rodents and ticks from four Kazakhstan regions were screened for OHFV RNA to clarify if this virus could be the causative agent for many undiagnosed cases of febrile diseases in humans in Kazakhstan. Out of 130 cerebrospinal fluid samples, two patients (1.53%) originating from Almaty city were positive for OHFV RNA. Screening of tick samples revealed positive pools from different areas in the Akmola region. Of the caught rodents, 1.1% out of 621 were positive for OHFV at four trapping areas from the West Kazakhstan region. In this paper, we present a broad investigation of the spread of OHFV in Kazakhstan in human cerebrospinal fluid samples, rodents and ticks. Our study shows for the first time that OHFV can not only be found in the area of Western Siberia in Russia, but can also be detected up to 1.600 km away in the Almaty region in patients and natural foci. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we use ten-digit trade data that allow an accurate assessment of how the tariff structure of the Russian Federation will change as a result of the phased implementation of its World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments between 2012 and 2020 and how it has changed as a result of Russia's agreement to participate in a customs union with Kazakhstan and Belarus. WTO commitments will progressively and significantly lower the applied tariffs of the Russian Federation. Russian tariffs will ultimately fall to between 45 and 68 percent of their pre-accession levels, with the larger fall being on a weighted average, rather than an unweighted average basis. Nonetheless, bound tariffs will exceed applied tariffs for almost 1,500 tariff lines. Russia's commitments are not unusual, especially when compared to the transition countries that have acceded to the WTO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are employed in many countries as an alternative method of public service provision in which partners from the public and private sectors share their resources, responsibilities, and risks. Some well-justified factors that drive the partnership development are value for money and lack of budget funding. As PPP drivers may be unique, the paper surveys the reasons for PPP expansion in two transitional countries, Kazakhstan and Russia. Based on detailed discussion of the commonly employed reasons for partnering (such as greater value for money, or lower total social cost associated with a PPP as opposed to contracting out a service), internal and external PPP drivers in Kazakhstan and Russia have been categorized and examined. Among internal drivers, the need to attract private initiative and funding for upgrading the utilities and housing infrastructure is most influential because of enormity of the task for which governments lack resources. The countries' intention to align themselves with the requirements of perceived international best practices is yet additional influential driver of external nature. The paper concludes that public policy in the two countries is the major driving force for PPP development although the value for money concept and transaction cost economics appear to be neglected. The emerging PPP policy paradigm in Kazakhstan and Russia has facilitated PPP development in recent years, since 2005. However, lack of reliable solutions and instruments for PPP formation and implementation significantly slows down PPP expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is widespread concern among people living in some parts of Altai territory in Siberia about potential health effects from fallout from rockets launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Extensive research has so far failed to provide evidence to support these concerns. As a consequence, the problem has been labelled by Russian scientists as 'collective psychosocial distress' or 'raketophobia'. The aim of this paper is to provide an understanding of the factors underlying popular concerns about rockets. The paper is based on data collected in 2006 using multiple methods (individual semi-structured interviews, natural group discussions, round tables and participant observation). Concerns related to the impact of the rocket launches among the local population were explored. The analytical framework is informed by discourse analysis and discursive psychology. The findings are that the processes of collective social construction amplify risks perceived to be associated with rocket launches. In the Altai context, this social amplification builds on a societal vulnerability triggered by the collapse of the Soviet ideology. The environmental concern provides opportunities for repressed debates to be expressed that emerge from culturally embedded frustrations and fears that would otherwise be ignored by the political agenda. Moreover, the signals that shape the perception of risk are intrinsic components of local information flows, so that the communication process between experts and policy-makers and the local population itself contributes to the amplification of perceived risks. Concern about the health effects of rockets can be traced to the conditions that existed when the USSR ceased to exist. An effective response must address these deep-seated issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil economies in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) region, with geographical proximity to each other, are usually impacted by some common risk factors, which make their country risks closely correlated. This paper focuses on correlation between country risks and investigates the spillovers of country risk returns (CRR). Taking Russia and Kazakhstan for example, firstly, this paper identifies the structural breaks in CRR series, using iterated cumulative sums of squares (ICSS) algorithm. Secondly, on the assumption that there may be similarity in structural breaks of CRR series of the two countries, Vector Autoregression (VAR) process and Granger causality test are used to identify whether there are mean spillovers of CRR series. Finally, the volatility spillovers are captured by using multivariate conditional volatility models in the framework of the BEKK models. Empirical results show that (1) there are significant unidirectional mean spillovers from Russia to Kazakhstan; (2) there are asymmetric bidirectional volatility spillovers between Russia and Kazakhstan; and volatility spillover effects from Russia to Kazakhstan are stronger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although reserve (or field) growth has proved to be an important contributing factor in adding new reserves in mature petroleum basins, it is a poorly understood phenomenon. Although several papers have been published on the U.S. fields, there are only a few publications on fields in other petroleum provinces. This paper explores the reserve growth in the 42 largest West Siberian oil fields that contain about 55% of the basin's total oil reserves. The West Siberian oil fields show 13-fold reserve growth 20 years after the discovery year and only about 2-fold growth after the first production year. This difference in growth is attributed to extensive exploration and field delineation activities between discovery and the first production year. Because of the uncertainty in the length of evaluation time and in reported reserves during this initial period, reserve growth based on the first production year is more reliable for model development. However, reserve growth models based both on discovery year and first production year show rapid growth in the first few years and slower growth in the following years. In contrast, the reserve growth patterns for the conterminous United States and offshore Gulf of Mexico show a steady reserve increase throughout the productive lives of the fields. The different reserve booking requirements and the lack of capital investment for improved reservoir management and production technologies in West Siberia are the probable causes for the difference in the growth patterns. The models based on the first production year predict that the reserve growth potential in the 42 largest oil fields of West Siberia for a five-year period (1998-2003) ranges from 270330 million barrels or 0.34-0.42% per year. For a similar five-year period (1996-2001), models for the conterminous United States predict a growth of 0.54-0.75% per year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study is devoted to the possibility of using mobile learning for the joint solution of engineering problems by students. The research aims to determine the feasibility and perceived effectiveness of the collaborative method. The survey involved 218 students from five universities located in Russia and Kazakhstan. The results of the study show that 99% of young people have a smartphone or other mobile devices enabling Internet access, as confirmed by the study. The majority of students (85%) believe that mobile devices can be used for learning; 65% of the young people surveyed had already used a mobile phone or tablet to study disciplines. 44% of students determine the effectiveness of this type of learning and 56% were against it. In the context of the possibility of joint solution of engineering problems through these devices, opinions were almost equally divided: 52% of students agreed and 48% of participants disagreed. The practical significance can be based on the opportunities of the use of mobile learning for the joint solution of engineering problems. The research results may be of interest to a wide range of specialists working in the field of education, as well as to developers of training programs and applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]