On December 12, 2024, the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (KazISS) held a session of the National Expert Platform “KISI GPS: Gylym. Pikir. Sayasat” on the topic “The Role of Think Tanks in Shaping the National Agenda.”
The discussion covered pressing issues related to the activities of think tanks, their impact on policymaking, and their role in shaping public discourse.
Opening the session, KazISS Director Yerkin Tukumov emphasized the relevance of the topic. He reminded participants that the Head of State, in his speech at the National Kurultai in Turkestan, stressed the importance of providing high-quality expert-analytical support for state policy development.
The KazISS Director highlighted key issues in the development of the analytical field and outlined the priority areas of KazISS’s activities under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
“The priority areas of KazISS’s activities include building systemic interaction and dialogue with the expert community, involving experts in providing analytical support for state policy, and supporting and training young experts. To this end, KazISS has established several dialogue platforms and expert councils, such as the National Expert Platform ‘KISI GPS,’ the Expert Councils on Foreign Policy and Economic Development, and the Regional Experts Council. Three waves of the Young Experts Support Program have been conducted, the latest of which focused on regional issues. Its innovation was limiting participation exclusively to regional experts and enrolling the finalists into KazISS’s talent pool,” said Y. Tukumov.
Other important areas of KazISS’s work, according to the organization’s leader, include the development and support of the analytical capacity of the regions.
“This year, an important initiative was launched—the KazISS Regional Network, comprising offices in eight regions. The network is coordinated by the Regional Work Department. The development of the regional network will enable the collection of timely and reliable first-hand data through local representatives, allowing us to monitor the dynamics of the country’s socio-economic development by region. In other words, by gaining a clear picture of the ‘on-the-ground’ situation in the economic and social spheres, we can prepare high-quality analyses and develop comprehensive proposals for regional support and development,” Tukumov stated.
The KazISS Director also shared recommendations for improving the effectiveness of think tanks, aimed at enhancing coordination, facilitating systematic knowledge and experience exchange, and strengthening regional research.
“It would be appropriate to establish a network of researchers bringing together representatives of various institutions and to implement joint projects. For example, a joint public report on the topic ‘Regional Development in Kazakhstan’ could help address the lack of regional studies. The use of cloud platforms for data and analytical material exchange between institutions and the organization of exchange programs and internships, allowing experts and researchers to work in different institutions, would strengthen professional connections,” Tukumov added.
Continuing the discussion, Talgat Kaliyev, Director of the Institute for Applied Ethnopolitical Research, emphasized that the analytical field should be proactive.
“Today, we often operate in a reactive mode. Therefore, we need clear algorithms to identify weaknesses in the functioning of the government apparatus, as well as systemic crises and potential conflicts,” Kaliyev said.
In addition, the Director of the Institute for Applied Ethnopolitical Research highlighted KazISS’s efforts to consolidate the expert community.
“It is encouraging that KazISS is becoming a unifying structure capable of bringing together various think tanks—both governmental and private—into joint projects and discussions. The next step could involve creating a unified research database and enabling cross-analysis of results using Big Data tools,” proposed T. Kaliyev.
The Director of the Institute of Economic Research, Assel Sarsenbayeva, emphasized that developing the analytical market requires enhancing its prestige and expanding funding sources—specifically, allowing state-funded “think tanks” to commercialize their activities.
“In addition, there needs to be greater engagement with the public, showcasing research results, including through public expert platforms,” Sarsenbayeva stressed.
The well-known public figure and member of the Public Chamber under the Mazhilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, Togzhan Kozhaly, also shared her views on the KazISS GPS agenda. She particularly noted that the focus in shaping personnel policy in the analytical field should not be on financial aspects but rather on the opportunities that the analytical sphere provides.
“At one time, analytical institutions served as a starting platform for many talented analysts, allowing them to grow professionally. This, perhaps, should be the driver and motivation for young people to pursue careers in analytics,” said T. Kozhaly.
A well-known expert in public administration and doctoral candidate at Nazarbayev University, Sabina Sadiyeva, noted that the narrow analytical market in Kazakhstan, where the government is the primary client and consumer of analytical services, is due to objective factors.
“We need to acknowledge that governmental demand for analytics constitutes institutional demand for us. State-run analytical centers have a competitive advantage in the form of consistent funding, which enables them to engage in long-term, systematic research programs,” the expert stated.
S. Sadiyeva also positively assessed the initiatives of KazISS under the President of Kazakhstan aimed at developing Kazakhstan’s expert-analytical community:
“I am very pleased to see what KazISS is doing today. I believe that an important direction is the development of regional expert platforms and communities. We are also looking forward to seeing the KazISS journal included in the Scopus database,” she added.
The co-founder of the Astana Open Dialogue platform and member of the Public Chamber under the Mazhilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, Alexander Danilov, noted that for the development of a full-fledged market for analytical services, think tanks themselves need to become more market-oriented.
“It’s simply about properly shaping products and attracting people who know how to work with the market. In other words, selling the right corporate products tailored to the needs of clients. It requires stepping slightly away from purely analytical thinking and understanding what is in demand in the market,” A. Danilov shared.
The head of the DESHT Research Center, Kuanysh Zhayikov, responding to a question about what the expert community can offer for development, suggested considering international practices where funding for think tanks is equated to charitable contributions.
“This approach involves tax deductions for private corporations that allocate funds to support such organizations through charitable donations. This would give businesses at least some incentive to fund think tanks. It is about socially conscious entrepreneurs willing to work with the climate of ideas—and think tanks create this climate of ideas—who might be willing to donate to support analytical centers. In this way, we could finally see demand for more market-oriented, objective, and independent analytics,” K. Zhayikov explained.
The Executive Director of the TALAP Applied Research Center, Aset Zharkynov, highlighted shortcomings in the interaction between think tanks and government agencies during his speech.
“Currently, partnerships between analytical centers and government agencies are often built around addressing specific tasks dictated from above. This approach cannot be considered effective. It is necessary to move away from a model where think tanks, including our TALAP Center, act solely as task executors. Furthermore, we see that government agencies are conducting parallel sociological research, often duplicating each other’s efforts. The lack of a systematic approach leads to inefficiency and resource fragmentation. Establishing a coordinating center, such as KazISS, could help eliminate this chaos, streamline systemic work, and improve the quality of research,” A. Zharkynov stated.
The Advisor to the Chair of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, Zhuldyzai Iskakova, shared her thoughts on public projects for training analytical personnel, particularly the School of Analytics under the Senate.
“Currently, the number of graduates from the School of Analytics exceeds 200 analysts from various research fields and regions of Kazakhstan. All of them are in demand, including in the information sector, where they regularly appear on television. We receive positive feedback from TV channels regarding their professionalism and competencies,” said Z. Iskakova.
Associate Professor at MNU, Muslim Khassenov, highlighted the importance of academic freedom.
“I believe that when discussing the expert-analytical sphere, we should focus more on fostering a research culture and environment, which cannot be established without academic freedom. As abstract as this concept may seem, academic freedom encompasses the concrete right of a scholar, researcher, or analyst to express opinions and publish without restrictions or interference. It also involves a range of guarantees and a certain immunity, developed as the academic community establishes standards such as academic integrity and research methods. This ensures the objectivity and independence of analysts,” said Khasenov.
Participants of the “KISI GPS” platform expressed hope that the discussion would help improve the effectiveness of think tanks, enhance their role in developing and implementing socio-economic strategies, and strengthen collaboration between experts and government institutions.
