Innoker Publishes New Research on the Regions of the Future in Mysl Journal

Innoker experts continue their series of analytical publications devoted to the development of regions and single-industry towns (monotowns) in Kazakhstan.

Two articles titled “Regions of the Future: Challenges and Prospects”, prepared by Innoker experts Nurbek Achilov and Rizvangul Sadykova, were published in issues No. 6 and No. 7 (2025) of the national socio-political journal Mysl.

The publications are based on extensive research work, including field visits to 14 regions of Kazakhstan, 3 major cities, and 6 single-industry towns, as well as a comparative analysis of regional development in Kazakhstan and foreign countries.

Research focus

The articles examine key challenges and growth points of Kazakhstan’s regions under conditions of:

• internal and external migration;

• labor market transformation;

• growing social inequality;

• banking, interest rates, and imports;

• tax policy;

• dependence of certain territories on a single industry;

• declining role of human capital in regional policy.

The authors emphasize that sustainable regional development is impossible without a systematic reassessment of employment policy, monetary and banking policy, tax policy, migration policy, and spatial development approaches.

The second article analyzes the impact of the National Bank’s key interest rate, tax policy, and banking interest rates on the socio-economic development of Kazakhstan’s regions. The study is based on observations and data collected by the authors during field research conducted across the country in 2024–2025. It examines the relationship between macroeconomic instruments and business activity, employment levels, and investment attractiveness. The conclusion offers recommendations to improve monetary and fiscal policy in order to reduce regional disparities and stimulate sustainable growth.

Special attention is given to:

• the analysis of single-industry towns as vulnerable territories;

• the identification of new indicators for the development of regions of the future;

• the role of interagency coordination and the quality of public governance.

Practical value

The studies are not only analytical but also applied in nature. The articles present:

• proposals for regional economic diversification;

• measures to reduce social tension and population outflow;

• recommendations for the development of industrial zones and priority development areas;

• conclusions on the need to shift from formal planning to evidence-based regional policy.

🗣 “Regional development is not about reports for the sake of reports, but a tool for early response to socio-economic risks,” notes Nurbek Achilov, economist-analyst and co-author of the studies.

🗣 “Without considering migration, human capital, and institutional quality, it is impossible to talk about regions of the future,” emphasizes Rizvangul Sadykova, expert in international law and migration policy.

Link to previous Innoker research

The new articles logically continue Innoker’s previously published research on single-industry towns, including the study “Single-Industry Towns: Challenges and Prospects”, based on the cases of Zhanaozen, Kenderli, and Almetyevsk (Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation).

Taken together, these publications form a comprehensive vision of regional development in Kazakhstan, integrating issues of:

• employment;

• migration;

• regional economy;

• impact of monetary policy;

• impact of tax policy;

• impact of the National Bank’s key interest rate;

• human capital;

• institutional effectiveness.

Publications available online

🔗 Part 1:
https://mysl.kazgazeta.kz/news/16513

🔗 Part 2:
https://mysl.kazgazeta.kz/news/16531

Innoker will continue its research and expert activities aimed at supporting public reforms, regional development, and the formation of sustainable socio-economic policy in Kazakhstan.