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 4. A vehicle assembled locally can enrich foreign suppliers—or help build domestic industry. How is a full-cycle cluster taking shape around Kostanay’s car plants? From iron casting and reduction gears to domestically produced body sheet, software and university-based engineering training.
The “Economic Multiplier” series. Part 5. Rapid industrial growth inevitably runs into shortages of power and logistics capacity. How are the Tobyl dry port, 1.2 GW of new wind generation and the revival of Arkalyk as a transport hub ceasing to be just construction projects and becoming direct factors of regional economic expansion?
The “Economic Multiplier” series. Part 6. A factory can be built in two years—but who will run it? We examine the concept of “economic gravity”: why the Astana residential district, international university programmes, hotels and healthcare are not simply social expenditure, but key investments in retaining talent and closing the region’s development cycle.
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.
