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This paper describes how the rapid economic development of Kazakhstan has been accompanied by a process of social polarization and growing disparities within society. Kazakhstan is a large oil producing country in Central Asia, a former Soviet Union republic that became independent in 1991. Since the mid 1990s the country has achieved an amazing ratę of economic growth (10 percent annually), due to expanding oil production and rising oil prices. Yet, this stunning growth is not sustainable in social terms, as parts of the population are in poverty and have little chance of consuming the fruits of the country's success. There is a growing gap between the oil elite - those who control and own the oil business - and the rest of society. Social cohesion is weak. In this paper some causes of the weakness of social cohesion are explored and some manifestations described. The first part of the article presents indicators of economic growth, while the latter part focuses on privatization, corruption, ethnic tensions and elan relationships as factors causing social polarization. Access to higher education, the property market and the distribution of state jobs are used as examples to illustrate the lack of social cohesion. This paper is very much based on my own ethnographic observations - living my everyday life with Kazakhs, working with them, going to bazaars and overhearing simple conversations and complaints in shops or post offices. The literatue study was used as a method to illustrate major trends and present factual information. But other very important sources of Information and interpretation were the numerous conversations I had with my colleagues - foreign and local scholars in Almaty, especially from the Department of Public Administration and Department of Political Science of KIMEP (Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research.(fragment of text)
Czasopismo
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Numer
Strony
63--75
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autor
- Gdansk Management College, Gdańsk, Poland
Bibliografia
- Cummings, S., Norgaard, O., "Conceptualizing State Capacity: comparing Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan", Political Studies, 52, pp. 686-708, 2004.
- Dave, B., Minorities and Participation in Public Life: Kazakhstan. Commission on Humań Rights, Sub-Commission on Promotion of Humań Rights, United Nations. Working Paper, 5 May 2003.
- Eshpanova, D.D., Nysanbaev, A.N., "A Social Portrait of Young People in Today's Kazakhstan", Russian Education and Society, 48(2), February, pp. 75-96, 2006.
- Fergus, M., "A Strategy for Reducing Poverty in Kazakhstan", Asian Affairs, XXXIV(II), pp. 109- 122, July 2003.
- Kazakhstan. Economic Performance Assessment. United States Agency for International Development. November 2005 and Nathan Associates. Available from: http://pdf.dec.org/pdf_docs/ PNADE692.pdf (Accessed 11.03.2007).
- Kuralbayeva, K., Kutan, A., Wyzan, M., Is Kazakhstan Vulnerable to the Dutch Disease? Center for European Integration Studies. Working Paper B 29, 2001. Available from: http://www.zei. de/download/zei_wp/B01-29.pdf (Accessed 8.12.2004).
- Pomfret, R., "Kazakhstan's Economy sińce Independence: does the oil boom offer the second Chance for sustainable development?", Europe-Asia Studies, 57(6), pp. 859-876, September 2005.
- Schatz, E., "Reconceptualizing Clans: kinship networks and statehood in Kazakhstan", Nationalities Papers, 33(2), pp. 231-254, June 2005.
- Schatz, E., "Framing Strategies and Non-Conflict in Multi-Ethnic Kazakhstan", Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, 6(2), pp. 71-94, Summer 2000.
- Steier, F.A., "The Changing Nexus: tertiary institutions, the marketplace and the State", Higher Education Quarterly, 57(2), pp. 158-180, April 2003.
- Zashev, P., Vahtra, P., Kazakhstan as a Business Opportunity - industrial clusters and regional deuelopment. Electronic Publications of Pan-European Institute No. 6, 2006. Available from: www.tukkk.fi/pei/pub (Accessed 11.03.2007).
- http://www.coe.int/T/E/social_cohesion/social_policies/03.Strategy_for_Social_Cohesion/(the website of European Committee on Social Cohesion) (Accessed 3.04.2007).
Typ dokumentu
Bibliografia
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bwmeta1.element.ekon-element-000171627022