Resource information
Kazakhstan made steady progress on
poverty reduction and social development during the review
period, driven by impressive economic growth and rising
hydrocarbon prices. Yet, the country continues to grapple
with a number of systemic challenges, including: a lack of
progress on economic diversification and anticorruption; a
dominant role of the state in the economy; a lack of skills
in the labor force; and a legacy of environmental problems
inherited from the Soviet era. The quality of the Bank Group
dialogue with the government was exceptionally high
throughout the evaluation period. The Bank Group has
established itself as a trusted adviser to the government,
with a proven track record of timely delivery of
high-quality technical and policy advice, including
cabinet-level ‘brainstorming sessions’ and the client-funded
Joint Economic Research Program (JERP). Implementation of
the JERP suggests that it could become a powerful tool for
strengthening the partnership, advancing the reform agenda,
and gradually building up the lending program. At the same
time, the fully demand-driven nature of the program imposed
limitations on the Bank in defining strategic priorities in
its advisory work, disseminating findings, and engaging
local partners. Looking forward, the Bank Group will need to
(i) link the JERP with concrete sector investments and
advance monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tools to track
its effectiveness; (ii) disclose the main policy
recommendations; (iii) engage local partners and civil
society to advance transparency and accountability and build
capacity; (iv) select and prepare of a set of analytical
products independently and in line with the World Bank
Group’s global development mandate; and (v) be more
selective and strategic in sector engagement.
