Assessing Regional Inequalities in Kazakhstan through Well-Being

Andrã‰s Rodrã Guez-Pose (), Federico Bartalucci (), Bakhytzhan Kurmanov (), Genadiy Rau and Kaisar Nigmetov ()
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Andrã‰s Rodrã Guez-Pose: London School of Economics, London, United Kingdom
Federico Bartalucci: London School of Economics, London, United Kingdom
Bakhytzhan Kurmanov: M. Narikbayev KazGUU University and University of Central Asia, Astana, Kazakhstan
Genadiy Rau: Asian Development Bank (ADB), Metro Manila, Philippines
Kaisar Nigmetov: Center for Regional Studies, Economic Research Institute, Astana, Kazakhstan

Asian Development Review (ADR), 2024, vol. 41, issue 01, 301-333

Abstract: Growing disparities in wealth, well-being, and access to services in Kazakhstan have raised serious concerns among policymakers, especially since the January 2022 protests. This paper evaluates these regional inequalities and presents the findings from Kazakhstan’s inaugural well-being survey. The survey, based on global best practices, involves 4,032 face-to-face interviews with a diverse sample across all 20 regions, ensuring representation. The resulting indices—the Subjective Well-Being Index and the Regional Well-Being Index—highlight both within-region and between-region disparities. Notably, the indices reveal significant variations in well-being, with certain regions reporting notably lower satisfaction levels across dimensions like trust in institutions, satisfaction with financial and housing conditions, health care and education quality, and personal security perceptions.

Keywords: inequality; Kazakhstan; regional development; well-being survey (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: P25 R28 R58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wsi:adrxxx:v:41:y:2024:i:01:n:s0116110524500033

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DOI: 10.1142/S0116110524500033

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