An applied research center that helps people navigate a changing economy. We analyze what is happening, understand how technology is changing it, and help prepare for the future.
We do not simply offer services. We solve real problems faced by the state, business, and civil society in conditions of uncertainty.
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The “Economic Multiplier” series. Part 1. Why is Kazakhstan’s largest private business investing in Kostanay, and why was the investment forum held on a factory floor? We examine how the region is moving from a raw-material model towards a complex cross-sector system in which private capital accounts for 80% of investment and a single industrial initiative can trigger a chain reaction across related sectors.
The “Economic Multiplier” series. Part 2. The real effect of investment is measured not by the sum of individual projects, but by how they reinforce one another. How do the automotive industry, deep agricultural processing, wind generation and a dry port combine into a single economic cluster? We examine the structural shift in Kostanay Region, where growth in one sector creates reliable demand for the others.
The “Economic Multiplier” series. Part 3. A tonne of grain costs KZT 85,000, while products made through deep processing can be worth up to KZT 500,000. How is a traditionally agricultural region industrialising its rural economy? We show how robotic farms, bioethanol, freeze-drying and agricultural drones are building longer value chains and transforming the region’s core sector.
The sociological service of the TALAP Center conducted a unique study on the health of Kazakhstani people.
Only 16% of Kazakhstanis consider themselves healthy. A unique study on the health of Kazakhstanis was conducted by the TALAP Center for Applied Research. In Almaty, people move less and sleep less, in Astana, they are more stressed and eat fast food, in Shymkent, there is a greater emphasis on fruits and vegetables, but only 7.3% of Kazakhstanis regularly visit a doctor for preventive examinations.
A major exclusive in the early days of 2024 – an interview given by the head of state, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to the Egemen Qazaqstan newspaper. The president devoted part of the detailed conversation to discussing a painful topic for the Republic - domestic violence. According to Tokayev, he "supports the tightening of punishment for domestic violence."
Everyone was watching oil, food, and aviation kerosene. But the most durable consequences of the war manifested themselves in other sectors: fertilizers, petrochemicals, aluminum, insurance, and ocean freight. This is a story about why the loudest fears do not always turn out to be the main impact.
The Gulf War passed by Kazakhstan’s export route — but not by its economy. The real blow came not through Hormuz, but through the Black Sea, the CPC, Tengiz, and the limited capacity of alternative routes. This is the story of a country for which a high oil price proved weaker than an infrastructure disruption.
The war became a test for forecasters. Almost everyone identified the key point: the risk for Kazakhstan was not in Hormuz, but in the CPC, Tengiz, and export infrastructure. But beyond that, forecasts diverged. Some focused on GDP, others on the oil price, and still others on the tenge exchange rate. Reality showed that the key variable was not the Brent price, but the country’s ability to produce, export, and monetize oil.
